The BIMSTEC working group (BWG) has agreed to act decisively in five key areas like connectivity, counterterrorism, climate change, energy and people-to-people contact for making the forum proactive.
Official sources said the seven-member group styled Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) reaffirmed the importance of taking collective efforts and political will of the member-states in this regard.
The agreement came at the 144th BWG meeting held at the BIMSTEC secretariat in Dhaka Sunday with the representatives of high commissioners and ambassadors of member-states- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque, who led the host side at the meeting, urged the members to bring in fresh ideas to develop the future action plan for BIMSTEC by attaching due importance to the emerging trends, challenges and developments in the region.
He also emphasized connectivity, energy, counterterrorism, climate change and people-to-people contact as prospective key areas of future cooperation.
The FS urged the member-countries to attach due importance to the emerging trends, challenges and developments.
"Reaching agreements and signing instruments to that end among the member-states for enhanced intra-regional trade and investment under the BIMSTEC FTA would be a concrete benchmark of our achievement," the foreign secretary said.
He also conveyed Bangladesh's readiness to offer full support and cooperation in achieving that goal.
Foreign ministry sources said the daylong meeting agreed on the foreign secretary's idea to engage think tanks for gaining critical insights on the future roadmap of the organisation and took decision to hold BIMSTEC think tank-level meeting on October 8.
Nepal, which chaired the BWG, also announced plan to hold senior official-level meeting by next month and informed the members that owing to earthquake in Nepal annual meeting of senior officials could not be organised.
Official sources said the meeting is likely to be held in December.
They said the SOL meeting is important to take major decisions of the BIMSTEC which are later endorsed in summit.
The BIMSTEC, an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia, has now work in 13 sectors.
smunima@yahoo.com
