Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday urged the BIMSTEC leaders to join hands together as the forum is an appropriate tool that can leverage mutual benefits of member countries addressing post Covid-19 challenges and impacts of political crisis in the West.
"The Summit gives us an opportunity to expedite our collective efforts and find out common solutions to multiple challenges," she said.
The premier said this while addressing the 5th BIMSTEC Summit taking place in Sri Lankan capital Colombo, joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka.
On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) forum, Sheikh Hasina also laid emphasis on finding common strategies to rebuild a sustainable and resilient Bay of Bengal Region by tapping the full potentials of the region.
Mentioning that the 7-nation BIMSTEC is collectively a big entity with hosting over 1.54 billion people that is more than one-fifth of world population, she observed, "This huge population is a not only a challenge but also an opportunity."
She also placed three-point proposals at the summit, urging all leaders to pledge making the process fully functional by activating all 14 sectors of cooperation.
In the first point, Bangladesh prime minister opted for immediate implementation and operationalisation of all agreed decisions like BIMSTEC FTA, BIMSTEC Centers and entities like Disaster Management Center, Energy Center, Cultural Commission etc., connectivity projects, energy grid connectivity with a view to bringing immediate tangible benefits for peoples.
Secondly, she stood for completion of the process of all other legal instruments and policy documents that are already underway but not yet finalized by pushing the organisation's momentum on a fast track.
Finally, she suggested for empowering the organisation to engage in the creative and innovative process by expanding its partnership and outreach with relevant entities outside of BIMSTEC with a view to addressing emerging threats and seizing new opportunities.
Sri Lanka is hosting the 5th BIMSTEC Summit in hybrid mode with the theme "BIMSTEC-Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies and Healthy Peoples."
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is charing it.
