Foreign Ministers of the BIMSTEC member States on Thursday commended the progress outlined in the BIMSTEC Secretary General’s report, endorsing advancements in regional cooperation across various sectors under the BIMSTEC framework.

They also lauded Thailand’s leadership in hosting the 20th session of Ministerial Meeting (MM) of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) which has set the stage for a "successful" 6th BIMSTEC Summit.

They expressed confidence that the 6th BIMSTEC Summit will mark a pivotal step towards realizing the organization’s full potential.

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 & Food Security; Connectivity; Environment & Climate Change; People-to-People Contact; Science, Technology & Innovation; Security; and Trade, Investment & Development. The cooperation also covers 8 sub-sectors: Blue Economy, Mountain Economy, Energy, Disaster Management, Fisheries & Livestock, Poverty Alleviation, Health, and Human Resource Development.

As the key decision-making mechanism, the BIMSTEC MM plays a crucial role in shaping the organization’s agenda, said the BIMSTEC headquarters.

During the meeting, Ministers signed the BIMSTEC agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation, marking a significant step toward strengthening regional maritime partnerships.

They also witnessed the signing of Memoranda of Understanding between BIMSTEC and IORA, as well as BIMSTEC and UNODC, formalizing partnership in areas of mutual interest.

Chaired by Thailand, the ministerial meeting brought together Foreign or External Affairs Ministers from member States to review progress, finalize key agreements and outline the future course of regional cooperation.

The 6th BIMSTEC Summit of the Heads of State/Government of the member States will be held on Friday.

Following are some of the Key Outcomes of the 20th MM:

● Finalization of the draft Declaration of 6th BIMSTEC Summit, outlining vision, decisions
and directives of the Leaders, to be adopted at the Summit;

● Finalization of the draft Joint Statement by the 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. The draft Joint
Statement will be adopted at the Summit;

● Consideration of the Report of Eminent Persons Group on the Future Direction of
BIMSTEC, which includes recommendations to reform and revitalize BIMSTEC.

● Approval of the Reports of 24th and 25th BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meetings, which
contain key decisions and initiatives for fostering collaboration among the member States
and advancing BIMSTEC agenda;

● Approval of the BIMSTEC Sectoral Plans of Action on Science, Technology &
Innovation; Public Health; Human Resource Development; and Environment & Climate
Change which will serve as the frameworks for implementation for respective sectors;

● Approval of the finalized Concept Notes and Memoranda of Understanding(MoUs)
between the Indian Ocean Rim Association(IORA) & BIMSTEC; United Nations on Drugs
and Crime(UNODC) & BIMSTEC; and the World Bank & BIMSTEC on Strengthening
Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response and Health Systems Resilience among
BIMSTEC Member States