Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are likely to have a meeting on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit which is expected to take place next month in Bangkok, Thailand. Briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on current affairs on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain hinted at the possibility of such a development. There was no meeting between Chief Adviser Dr Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, as the two leaders' schedules did not align, officials said. Modi left the United States before Prof Yunus’s arrival in New York. BIMSTEC member states call for strengthening economic ties, people-to-people exchanges The Chief Adviser was scheduled to attend the Bimstec Summit which was originally scheduled for September 4 but was later postponed. The new date is yet to be announced but the Chief Adviser will attend the summit. Thailand will host the next summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec). Bangladesh will take responsibility as the next chair of BIMSTEC there. The Bimstec member states have emphasised the importance of enhancing physical, maritime and digital linkages to strengthen economic ties and people-to-people exchanges, while also exploring opportunities for capacity building and skill development. The support for the establishment of Bimstec Centre of Excellence was also expressed by the member states at an informal meeting of the Bimstec Foreign Ministers. The meeting was held in New York on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the UNGA recently. It concluded with a shared resolve to further deepen cooperation within Bimstec and prepare for the upcoming leaders' summit. It was the first meeting of the Bimstec Foreign Ministers in New York on the sidelines of the annual Session of the UNGA. Secretary General of the Bimstec Indra Mani Pandey has recently said the next summit will have some significant outcomes and it will set a direction for Bimstec future. The Bimstec Secretary General hoped the upcoming summit would add a new vigour to regional cooperation within Bimstec. "I believe Bimstec has a bright future. All the members are truly committed to making sure Bimstec becomes a success story," he said while making a presentation on Bimstec activities at its headquarters in Dhaka recently. The summit will adopt a Bangkok Vision 2030 which would be an overarching kind of document and give direction to the organisation, he said, adding that it would be one of the significant outcomes. Bimstec brings together seven countries in South and Southeast Asia for multifaceted cooperation. Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Director General (Public Diplomacy Wing) Toufique Hasan were also present.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday called for collective efforts of the seven Bay of Bengal countries at tapping the full potentials of the region for the benefits of their people. “We need to find common strategies to rebuild a sustainable and resilient Bay of Bengal region by tapping the full potentials of the region,” she said while addressing the 5th BIMSTEC Summit that opened in Sri Lankan capital Colombo. Joining the summit virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban the prime minister said that the summit meeting gives an opportunity to expedite the collective efforts and find out common solutions to the multiple challenges. BIMSTEC of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand bringing together 1.54 billion people of the resource-rich region.

Leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) are set to sign the BIMSTEC Charter at the 5th Summit that began in Sri Lankan capital city on Wednesday morning. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi are joining the Summit, hosted by current BIMSTEC chair Sri Lanka in virtual mode, from Dhaka and New Delhi respectively. BIMSTEC Convention on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters will be signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice or the nominated signatories of the BIMSTEC Member States. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen is leading a Bangladesh delegation at the Summit in person. Read: Bangladesh seeks Thailand’s support to get connected with Trilateral Highway project Momen said Bangladesh is committed to the security and stability of the region within the framework of BIMSTEC Convention on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime and annual Consultation Mechanism of BIMSTEC National Security Advisors Forum. "I am happy to note that our leaders will be approving and watching the signing of the BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters at the 5th BIMSTEC Summit," he said. The foreign minister said senior officials’ meeting held on Monday recommended some important documents for consideration and onward recommendation to the Summit. "BIMSTEC Charter is one of them which will place the organization’s activities on a more structured and rule based platform," Momen said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will virtually join the BIMSTEC Summit scheduled to be held on March 30 in Sri Lanka. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, who will attend the Summit, confirmed the prime minister’s virtual joining. While talking to reporters at his office on Tuesday, Dr Momen also said Myanmar is not probably sending ther head of the government. Read:Stay united to take Bangladesh forward: PM urges after dedicating Payra plant as her Ramadan, Eid gift The 5th BIMSTEC Summit is likely to adopt the long expected BIMSTEC transport connectivity master plan, says State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam recently. This plan, he said, will put new impetus in implementation of multi-modal connectivity projects connecting the member states towards regional integration in the Bay of Bengal Region. Though the COVID 19 slowed down the momentum, the 5th BIMSTEC Summit will be held after four years since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit held in 2018. The much-awaited next edition of the BIMSTEC Summit will be hosted by current chair Sri Lanka. The 5th BIMSTEC Summit will be an opportunity to review and reflect what had worked and what did not, said the State Minister. “It will be an opportunity to refresh and renew their commitment to strengthen the BIMSTEC Process in all respects,” he said. At the impending 5th BIMSTEC Summit, Alam said, a substantive number of issues are expected to be high on the agenda of the leaders for their consideration and adoption. Another fundamental area of cooperation and a much needed element of regional integration is the implementation of BIMSTEC Free Trade Area, said the State Minister while addressing as the chief guest at the “Bay of Bengal Economic Forum 2022” on Friday. Read: Greek PM phones Hasina, praises her leadership for impressive development Alam said BIMSTEC is expecting to get a Charter after 25 years of its establishment. “We’re also expecting a quarter dozen legal instruments to be concluded during the Summit.” With the conclusion of these four legal instruments, the number of essential legal documents will be raised to 13 from existing, he said. These documents are fundamental software for operation and functioning of the BIMSTEC Process which has been moving at a slow pace since its inception in 1997.

The 5th BIMSTEC Summit, scheduled to be held on March 30, is likely to adopt the long-awaited BIMSTEC transport connectivity master plan, says State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam. This plan, he said, will put new impetus in implementation of multi-modal connectivity projects involving the member states towards regional integration in the Bay of Bengal region. Though the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the momentum, the 5th BIMSTEC Summit will be held this month after four years since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit held in 2018. This summit will be hosted by current chair Sri Lanka. The 5th BIMSTEC Summit will be an opportunity to review and reflect what had worked and what did not, said the State Minister. “It will be an opportunity to refresh and renew their commitment to strengthen the BIMSTEC Process in all respects,” he said. Also read: Shahriar meets Lekhi in Delhi At the impending BIMSTEC Summit, Alam said, a substantive number of issues are expected to be high on the agenda of the leaders for their consideration and adoption.

The special session of Bimstec Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) Wednesday endorsed the "BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity" for approval and adoption by the 17th Bimstec Ministerial Meeting and Fifth Bimstec Summit. The Fifth Bimstec Summit is expected to be held in Sri Lanka's Colombo this year. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen virtually took part in the SOM held in Colombo. He led a four-member Bangladesh delegation of Additional Foreign Secretary Md Shamsul Haque (Saarc and Bimstec) and other officers. Also read: Bimstec SG lauds Bangladesh’s socioeconomic development The foreign secretaries and senior officials of all the seven Bimstec member states joined the meeting, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The 5th BIMSTEC Summit, preceded by the 17th BIMSTEC Ministerial meeting, is proposed to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in the first half of January 2021 subject to the improved COVID situation. 

The 21st session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) comprising Foreign Secretaries of the BIMSTEC Member States will be held virtually in Colombo, Sri Lanka on September 2 with a possibility to hold the next Summit virtually if the pandemic situation does not improve. 

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said that Bangladesh will construct a multi-storied modern building for the Bimstec Secretariat.