Special address by High Commissioner of India Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla at the concluding session of “BIMSTEC at its 20: Towards a Bay of Bengal Community”

DHAKA, March 21 (NsNewsWire) — Special address by High Commissioner of India Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla at the concluding session of “BIMSTEC at its 20: Towards a Bay of Bengal Community”, Dhaka (March 20, 2018): “His Excellency Dr. Gowher Rizvi, Hon’ble Adviser to Hon’ble Prime

Minister on International Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office,

 His Excellency Ambassador M Shahidul Islam, Secretary General of BIMSTEC,

 His Excellency Ambassador Kobsak Chutikul, Secretary-General of the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council, Thailand,

 Ambassadors of fellow member states,

 Head of Indian delegation Shri Piyush Srivastava, Joint Secretary (BIMSTEC & SAARC),Ministry of External Affairs, India

 Excellencies,

 Distinguished members of various think tanks,

 Ladies and Gentlemen,

 Let me start by thanking His Excellency Ambassador M Shahidul Islam, Secretary General of BIMSTEC for hosting this “BIMSTEC at its 20: Towards a Bay of Bengal Community” conference at a crucial juncture when BIMSTEC has entered the third decade of its journey on way to achieving its objectives. Relatively young compared to other regional arrangements, BIMSTEC is well on its path to realise its full potential.

 2       I would also like to thank our panel of eminent speakers for their valuable insights on strengthening regional technical and economical cooperation under BIMSTEC.

 3       BIMSTEC is an opportunity for combining the complementary strengths of South Asia and South East Asia. BIMSTEC’s major strength comes from the fact that it represents 1.6 billion people, an overwhelming majority of which are young. The region has countries with the fastest-growing economies in the world. The combined GDP in the region is around US$3 trillion which will undoubtedly keep growing, given the vast untapped natural and human resources available in the region. 

4 Common objectives of economic growth and development in the region, are crucial elements of the BIMSTEC framework. Security, development, food and energy self-sufficiency, disaster management and environment conservation are major governance priorities where BIMSTEC Member States have convergence.

 5 For India, BIMSTEC is a natural choice to fulfill key foreign policy priorities of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’. The BIMSTEC Leader’s Retreat hosted by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in Goa in October 2016 was a major milestone in BIMSTEC’s journey which galvanised the grouping and clearly demonstrated the BIMSTEC Leaders’ faith in it as a vehicle for prosperity. They pledged to make BIMSTEC stronger, more effective and result oriented and showed exceptional keenness to impart a fresh dynamism into all areas of cooperation.

 6 BIMSTEC has gathered significant momentum after the BIMSTEC Leaders’ Retreat in Goa, 2016 which injected new dynamism into this regional partnership. Significant progress has been made in the key areas of Connectivity, Counter-terrorism, Energy, Trade, Environment and Disaster Management, Tourism, People-to-people contacts among others. I am happy to know that various conventions/agreements in these areas of cooperation are in their final stages.

 

  1. I am happy to note that all Member States have agreed to draw up a BIMSTEC Master Plan on Connectivity with a view to create a seamless and multidimensional connectivity and people to people contact for the betterment of the region. Connectivity is crucial for growth in cooperation under BIMSTEC and it is the backbone for a regional integration arrangement. Enhancing connectivity has been the focus at all three Summits in the past as well as the BIMSTEC Leaders’ Retreat, held in Goa in October, 2016. In the Retreat Outcome Document, the BIMSTEC leaders emphasized connectivity as the driving force of regional integration and agreed to continue to promote all modes of transport linkages.

 

8       To achieve the desired regional cooperation, it is essential to have peace and security in the region. Terrorism remains the single largest threat to peace and stability in the region. At a time when strategies of terrorists are evolving rapidly and their networks are getting stronger, transcending even the geographical boundaries, it is imperative that countries facing threat must respond cohesively. Efforts are being taken to tackle traditional and non-traditional security challenges confronted by the region. In this regard, the Second Meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs which will be hosted by Bangladesh next week, will deepen the cooperation in the security domain including Maritime Security.

 

  1. During my interactions with scholars, Government representative, representatives from various Think Tanks and Businesses at this forum, I have sensed boundless enthusiasm and firm commitment among all stakeholders, to capitalize on the momentum generated in BISMTEC to achieve our common goals of regional prosperity and peace.

 

  1. We are thankful to the Bangladesh Government for hosting the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka and providing necessary support to strengthen it. I also appreciate sincere efforts made by Secretary General of BIMSTEC H.E. Ambassador M Shahidul Islam to carry the organization forward with new strength and spirit.

 

  1. BIMSTEC at the 20th milestone anniversary should be appreciated for its achievements and progress it has been able make thus far. We are in an Asian century. South Asia and South-east Asia are poised to reap the benefits of the swing of the global economic epicentre towards Asia and of the rapid economic transformation taking place in our region. BIMSTEC, has become increasingly more important in deepening regional cooperation and as a means of tackling the critical challenges that confront us. BIMSTEC provides the Bay of Bengal nations an opportunity to work together to create a common space for peace and development.

 

Thank you”