Bangkok: The sixth Bimstec summit will open on Friday as foreign ministers of all seven member states have readied the summit declaration and other instruments to be signed in Bangkok.
On the eve of the summit, Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra hosted a dinner on Thursday for all heads of state and government and members of the delegations attending the summit.
On Thursday, according to the Bimstec secretariat, foreign ministers of Bimstec foreign ministers signed the Bimstec Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement. Two other memorandums of understanding between Bimstec and India Ocean Rim Association were also signed.
As per the itinerary, the summit will officially start on Friday, beginning with an address from current Bimstec chair Shinawatra, after which the agendas of the summit will be adopted. After that, the heads of the state and government will address the summit.
Following the address of Bimstec leaders, Shinawatra will address a press conference.
The 25th Session of Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of Bimstec meeting at foreign secretary level has finalised the draft declaration of the sixth Bimstec summit, outlining vision, decisions and directives of the leaders, to be adopted at the summit.
The meeting also finalised the draft report of the 20th Bimstec ministerial meeting which the foreign ministers will consider and adopt at the 20th Bimstec’s ministerial meeting on Thursday, said a statement issued by the Bimstec secretariat.
The SOM Meeting also considered the report of Eminent Persons Group on the Future Direction of BIMSTEC, which includes recommendations to reform and revitalise Bimstec.
The meeting also considered several reports on draft concept note on Bimstec Centre of Excellence on Tropical Medicine, which will serve as a framework for establishing the Bimstec Centre for Excellence on Topical Medicine in Bangkok, Thailand; and considered the draft of joint statement by Bimstec leaders on the impact of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand on 28 March 2025, underscoring early establishment of Bimstec Centre of Excellence in Disaster Management in India.
Bimstec comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It pursues regional cooperation in 7 broad sectors: Agriculture and Food Security; Connectivity; Environment and Climate Change; People-to-People Contact; Science, Technology and Innovation; Security; and Trade, Investment and Development.
The cooperation also covers 8 sub-sectors: Blue Economy, Mountain Economy, Energy, Disaster Management, Fisheries and Livestock, Poverty Alleviation, Health, and Human Resource
