Indra Mani Pandey and S Jaishankar Lead BIMSTEC Meeting in New York
New York [US], September 28: Indra Mani Pandey, the Secretary General of BIMSTEC (Bangladesh-India-Myanmar-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), announced that India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chaired an informal meeting of BIMSTEC members in New York. This meeting took place alongside the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting, held on Friday, was a preparatory session for the upcoming BIMSTEC Leaders’ Summit in Thailand. Pandey mentioned that the date for the summit will be announced once there is an informal agreement among the member states.
Pandey highlighted that this was the first meeting of BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers, hosted by India and chaired by Dr. S Jaishankar. High-level representatives from all BIMSTEC nations attended the meeting. The members discussed their vision for BIMSTEC, their priorities, and areas for regional cooperation, leading to an exchange of views on advancing BIMSTEC’s agenda.
BIMSTEC aims to integrate three strands of India’s Foreign Policy: the Neighborhood First Policy, the Look East Policy, and the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) Policy. Cooperation through BIMSTEC spans 15 sectors, making it crucial for regional development.
Bangladesh was represented by their Foreign Advisor, who reiterated the country’s support for BIMSTEC’s success. Pandey noted that member states are still consulting to find a common date for the summit, with Thailand actively working on it.
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar shared on social media that the meeting reviewed India’s cooperation in health, food security, trade, investment, economy, and energy. The focus was on improving connectivity across the region and exploring opportunities for capacity building and skill development.
Jaishankar emphasized that BIMSTEC represents the intersection of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ outlook, ‘Act East Policy,’ and ‘SAGAR’ vision. He stressed the importance of collaborative efforts in the Bay of Bengal and the need to infuse new energies and resources into regional cooperation.
Doubts Revealed
Indra Mani Pandey -: Indra Mani Pandey is an important person who helps manage a group of countries working together called BIMSTEC.
S Jaishankar -: S Jaishankar is India’s External Affairs Minister, which means he helps India talk and work with other countries.
BIMSTEC -: BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. It’s a group of countries around the Bay of Bengal that work together on different projects.
New York -: New York is a big city in the United States where many important meetings happen.
UN General Assembly -: The UN General Assembly is a big meeting where countries from all over the world come together to talk about important issues.
regional cooperation -: Regional cooperation means countries in the same area working together to solve problems and help each other.
BIMSTEC Leaders’ Summit -: The BIMSTEC Leaders’ Summit is a big meeting where the leaders of BIMSTEC countries come together to discuss important topics.
Thailand -: Thailand is a country in Asia where the next big BIMSTEC meeting will happen.
connectivity -: Connectivity means making it easier for people and goods to move between countries, like building better roads and communication systems.
food security -: Food security means making sure everyone has enough good food to eat.
trade -: Trade is when countries buy and sell things to each other.
energy -: Energy is power that we use to do things like turn on lights and run machines.
