Prime minister to attend BIMSTEC summit in quake-hit Thailand

The summit, under the theme "Prosperous, Resilient, and Open," is expected to bring together leaders and representatives from the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) member nations. However, the event comes at a time of deep tragedy, as Myanmar, a BIMSTEC member, was struck by a devastating earthquake on Friday. The earthquake has caused significant destruction and loss of life in Myanmar, and tremors were also felt in neighboring Thailand. Despite the scale of the disaster, the summit will proceed as planned.

BIMSTEC, established in 1997, consists of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The grouping focuses on enhancing cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, connectivity, security, and cultural exchange. While the earthquake has cast a shadow over the proceedings, the summit will continue to focus on advancing these key objectives.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the prominent leaders confirmed to attend the summit. Following the summit, he is expected to travel to Colombo, Sri Lanka. This will mark the first in-person meeting of the BIMSTEC leaders since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2018. The most recent BIMSTEC summit, held in March 2022, took place virtually due to the global pandemic.

As leaders prepare to gather in Bangkok, the region’s focus will be on solidarity, resilience, and the ongoing efforts to recover from the earthquake, all while continuing to advance the critical objectives of the BIMSTEC framework.