5th BIMSTEC Summit: PM Deuba on Promoting Regional Cooperation

Reiterating its commitment to making a constructive contribution to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) process, Nepal has emphasized promoting flexible, prosperous and sustainable development of the BIMSTEC region through regional cooperation.

 Addressing the 5th BIMSTEC Summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka through audio-visual today, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said that the regional organization BIMSTEC, which is on a journey of two and a half decades, needs to promote strong partnership with international organizations to realize its regional aspirations.

 He also said that the organization should be revived by making good use of the resources of the member countries. The Prime Minister also stressed the need for BIMSTEC to play an effective role in mitigating the economic, social and development impacts caused by the Covid-19 epidemic and ensuring the rehabilitation of the BIMSTEC sector.

 The present world is facing various challenges including climate change. The nature of these challenges is complex. The Prime Minister said that cooperation and partnership were needed among the member countries to fill the gap.

 He described the BIMSTEC region as "fighting the epidemic for the past two years, with millions dying, many people living in poverty and structural weaknesses on the rise." "Vaccine inequality has hampered resilience," he said.

 Stating the importance of the BIMSTEC Summit, a forum of commitment to the spirit of regional cooperation, unity, cooperation and collaboration, solidarity, he reiterated his commitment to the common goal of peace, progress and prosperity outlined in the Bangkok Declaration.

Calling for investment in the integration of our country, society and market, expansion of roads, railways, airways and waterways, transport network, energy, and interconnection of 'power grid' Prime Minister Deuba said that mutual assistance was needed in trade, investment promotion and customs matters.

 President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan Lotte Chirping, Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand This was addressed by Tenzin Lekfel, Secretary-General of O-Cha BIMSTEC.

 Prime Minister Deuba expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his active leadership, commitment and dedication to the successful leadership of the BIMSTEC process for the past three and a half years, and for all the officials involved in the summit planning.