Combating terrorism prominent at BIMSTEC
Colombo: Combating of terrorism, transnational organised crime and
illicit drug trafficking will feature prominently at the second Summit
of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) which begins in New Delhi today.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa will attend the Summit together with
leaders from other BIMSTEC states - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar,
Nepal and Thailand.
The second BIMSTEC Summit, which comes after four years since the
first Summit was held in Bangkok is scheduled to finalise several
agreements for the BIMSTEC region on energy, culture, weather and
climate especially counter terrorism and transnational crime. BIMSTEC
was formed in Bangkok on June 6, 1997 as a new sub-regional grouping
named BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lankan and Thailand Economic
Cooperation). Myanmar joined the Organisation as a full member at a
Special Ministerial Meeting held in Bangkok on December 22, 1997, upon
which the name of the grouping was changed to BIMST-EC. Nepal was
granted observer status by the Second Ministerial Meeting in Dhaka in
December 1998. Subsequently, full membership has been granted to Nepal
and Bhutan in 2003. At the first Summit on July 31, 2004, leaders of the
group agreed that the name of the grouping should be known as BIMSTEC or
the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation.
Seven members of BIMSTEC covers 13 Priority Sectors lead by member
countries in a voluntary manner namely, Trade & Investment, Technology,
Energy, Transport & Communication, Tourism, Fisheries, Agriculture,
Cultural Cooperation, Environment and Disaster Management, Public
Health, People-to-People Contract, Poverty Alleviation and
Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes. |