Thailand to host BIMSTEC summit on November 30th

Thailand has convened a summit of countries on the rim of the Bay of Bengal for the end of next month, according to an informed source.

The summit was planned and agreed upon when the foreign ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) met informally in Bangkok in July.

Currently, Thailand serves as the chair of BIMSTEC, which was established in June 1997. The regional organisation aims to deepen cooperation in trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism, fisheries, security, counterterrorism, disaster management and energy.

It is the only regional organisation that links South and Southeast Asia. There are five South Asia countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and Myanmar and Thailand in Southeast Asia.

All the BIMSTEC leaders, including Senior Gen Minh Aung Hlaing of Myanmar, have been…