Thailand is ready to host the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, set to take place on September 4, announced Maris Sangiampongsa, the Foreign Affairs Minister, who will preside over the event as the representative of the host nation.
BIMSTEC stands for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.
This organization comprises seven nations from South and Southeast Asia. The BIMSTEC member countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand — depend on the Bay of Bengal.
Maris Sangiampongsa attended the second BIMSTEC foreign ministers’ retreat in New Delhi on Thursday, where he affirmed Thailand’s readiness to host the summit.
He emphasized the importance of the private sector in translating government policies into real-world results.
In this regard, Thailand has proposed organizing the BIMSTEC Young Entrepreneur Forum concurrently with the summit. This forum aims to be a venue for young leaders from member countries to share and discuss business strategies.
While in India, he made a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed enthusiasm about Modi’s participation in the upcoming summit.
Maris also highlighted Thailand’s pivotal role in linking BIMSTEC with Asean, thus bridging the markets of South Asia and Southeast Asia, which together encompass over 4 billion people.
The retreat in India was led by India’s Minister of External Affairs and attended by representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar, the State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, and the BIMSTEC secretary-general.
During the retreat, discussions focused on strengthening BIMSTEC across various domains such as sustainable development, the digital economy, and disaster management.
Maris underscored the importance of enhancing collaboration within BIMSTEC on non-traditional security issues.
These issues include food security through effective and sustainable use of the Bay of Bengal’s resources, notably fisheries; human security by promoting medical tourism and education; and energy security through increased cooperation on clean and renewable energy sources.
He reiterated Thailand’s commitment to sharing its expertise with fellow member states to build a more prosperous and sustainable future.
