South, Southeast nations to enhance cooperation for maritime transport
A group of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations – collectively known as Bimstec – has reached an agreement on maritime transport cooperation to boost maritime connectivity within the region.
The group’s Senior Officials’ Meeting endorsed the Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation at a virtual meeting on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release published on its website on Thursday.
As chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec), Thailand hosted the 23rd Senior Officials’ Meeting online.
Permanent Secretary Sarun Charoensuwan chaired the meeting and Cherdchai Chaivaivid, director-general of the Department of International Economic Affairs, represented Thailand.
Following the finalisation of the Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation, Thailand urged Bimstec member states to continue discussions on the agreement’s draft standard operating procedures, which will be discussed at the fourth meeting of the Bimstec Transport Connectivity Working Group on March 20.
As the lead country, Thailand reported on the progress made by Bimstec member states, which surround the Bay of Bengal. They comprise Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The grouping has a combined population of 1.73 billion and a combined gross domestic product of US$4.4 trillion (154 trillion baht).
The meeting discussed the progress made under each sector of cooperation since the 22nd Senior Officials’ Meeting in March 2022 as well as administrative and financial matters.
The meeting also endorsed the Rules of Procedure for Bimstec Mechanisms, a set of protocol documents that will help Bimstec function more systematically.
“Thailand also informed the meeting of its proposal to establish a Bimstec business advisory council to enhance engagements between the regional grouping and the private sector, with a view to further drive trade and investment in the region,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The Senior Officials’ Meeting is a core Bimstec mechanism responsible for the preparation of ministerial meetings that include taking stock of the progress of each sector of cooperation and endorsing of relevant documents for the consideration by the ministers.
