Six documents, including BIMSTEC Charter, are likely to be adopted and signed at the 5th BIMSTEC Summit to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 30, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other heads of government will join the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit virtually, while ministers-level and foreign secretaries-level delegations will join in person, Momen said while briefing the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The other five documents are: BIMSTEC convention on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, memorandum of association on the establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility (TTF) in Colombo, memorandum of understanding (MoU) on mutual cooperation between diplomatic academies/training institutions of BIMSTEC Member States, rationalisation and reorganisation of sectors and sub-sectors of BIMSTEC, and BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, Secretary (East) Mashfee Binte Shams and Additional Secretary (SAARC & BIMSTEC) Md Shamsul Haque were present at the briefing.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will formally inaugurate the Summit. BIMSTEC consists of seven member states – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The theme of the 5th BIMSTEC Summit is “BIMSTEC-Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies and Healthy Peoples.”
When asked whether the Rohingya issue will be discussed in the BIMSTEC Summit, the foreign minister said Bangladesh raises the issue in all the forums.
Responding to a question, he said Bangladesh is now a hub of connectivity as it believes that connectivity is productivity.
“That’s why we’ve given a lot of emphasis on connectivity,” he said.
Momen highlighted the importance of connectivity with the countries like India, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
A “Summit Declaration” will be issued after the BIMSTEC Summit and Sri Lanka hands over the chairmanship of BIMSTEC to Thailand, he added.
State Minister Shahriar said the rail connectivity through Cox's Bazar-Ghumdhum is also part of the BIMSTEC connectivity initiative.
He also mentioned maritime connectivity between Chattogram port of Bangladesh and Ranong port of Thailand.
Before the key Summit, the FM-level meeting will be held on March 29 and the FS-level meeting on March 28. Bangladesh will join the meetings in person.
The 5th BIMSTEC Summit will be an opportunity to review and reflect on 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.
