Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

2022-06-28T10:58:04Z

103.96.40.9:

{{Short description|International cooperation organisation}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox Geopolitical organization
| name = BIMSTEC
| linking_name = The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
| image_symbol = File:BIMSTEC_Emblem.png
| symbol_type = {{clear}}
| alt_symbol = 
| symbol_width = 150px 
| motto = 
| englishmotto = 
| image_map = BIMSTEC (orthographic projection).svg
| loctext = 
| alt_map = 
| map_caption =
| org_type = 
| membership_type =
| membership = {{unbulleted list

|{{flagcountry|Bangladesh}}
|{{flagcountry|Bhutan}}
|{{flagcountry|India}}
|{{flagcountry|Myanmar}}
|{{flagcountry|Nepal}}
|{{flagcountry|Sri Lanka}}
|{{flagcountry|Thailand}}
}}
| admin_center_type = [[Secretariat (administrative office)|Secretariat]]
| leader_title2 = Secretary General
| leader_name2 = Tenzin Lekphell {{flagcountry|Bhutan}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Tenzin Lekphell begins journey as BIMSTEC Secretary General |url=https://unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/tenzin-lekphell-begins-journey-as-bimstec-secretary-general/60073 |work=UNB |date=6 November 2020 |access-date=19 January 2021}}</ref>
| admin_center = [[Dhaka]], Bangladesh<ref>{{cite news|title=Nepal unlikely to host fourth 'Bimstec' summit this year|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/nepal-unlikely-to-host-fourth-bimstec-summit-this-year-116060300847_1.html|website=Business Standard India|access-date=17 December 2016|date=3 June 2016}}</ref>
| languages_type = Official language
| languages = English
| leader_title1 = Chairmanship
| leader_name1 = {{flagcountry|Sri Lanka}} (since September 2018)<ref name="BIMSTEC2018">{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/modi-meets-myanmar-president-on-the-sidelines-of-bimstec-summit/article24828589.ece| title=BIMSTEC summit ends with Oli presenting Kathmandu declaration| newspaper=The Hindu| date=31 August 2018| access-date= 31 August 2018}}</ref>
| established = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1997|06|06}}
| official_website = {{url|https://bimstec.org/}}
| area_magnitude =
| area_km2 = 4,876,941 
| area_sq_mi = {{Convert|4,876,941|km2|sqmi|disp=number}} 
| area_footnote = 
| percent_water =
| area_label =
| area_dabodyalign = 
| population_estimate = 1,723,388,648<ref>{{cite web|url=http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/CD-ROM/|title=World Urbanization Prospects — Population Division — United Nations|work=un.org|access-date=17 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218125411/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/CD-ROM/|archive-date=18 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2020
| population_density_km2 = 353.37
| population_density_sq_mi = 136.4
| GDP_PPP = US$15.08 trillion<ref name="imf.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=88&pr.y=15&sy=2015&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,556,513,514,558,564,524,534&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP&grp=0&a=|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|work=imf.org}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank = 3rd
| GDP_nominal = $4.64 trillion<ref name="imf.org"/>
| GDP_nominal_year = 2022
| GDP_nominal_rank = 4th
| Gini = 
| Gini_ref = 
| Gini_year =
| HDI = 
| HDI_ref = 
| HDI_year =
| currency =
| currency_code =
| time_zone =
| utc_offset = 
| demonym =
| area_rank = 7th
| today =
| conventional_long_name = Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
}}

The '''Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation''' ('''BIMSTEC''') is an international organisation of seven [[South Asia]]n and [[Southeast Asia]]n nations, housing 1.73 billion people and having a combined gross domestic product of US$4.4 trillion (2022).<ref name=lead1/><ref name=lead3>[http://bimstec.org/ BIMSTEC]</ref> The BIMSTEC member states – [[Bangladesh]], [[Bhutan]], [[India]], [[Myanmar]], [[Nepal]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Thailand]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/economics/regional-economic-integration-the-bay-bengal-660181|title = Regional economic integration in the Bay of Bengal|date = 25 February 2016}}</ref> – are among the [[countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal]].

Fourteen priority sectors of cooperation have been identified and several BIMSTEC centres have been established to focus on those sectors.<ref name="lead1" /><ref name="lead5" /> A BIMSTEC free trade agreement is under negotiation (c. 2018), also referred Similar to [[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation|SAARC]].

Leadership is rotated in alphabetical order of country names. The permanent secretariat is in [[Dhaka]], [[Bangladesh]].

== Background ==
On 6 June 1997, a new sub-regional grouping was formed in [[Bangkok]] under the name BIST-EC ([[Bangladesh]], [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Thailand]] Economic Cooperation).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haidar|first1=Suhasini|title=BIMSTEC a sunny prospect in BRICS summit at Goa|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/bimstec-outreach-likely-to-pep-up-rocky-brics-summit-at-goa/article9224549.ece|access-date=16 October 2016|work=The Hindu|date=15 October 2016|language=en-IN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=BRICS Summit 2016: BIMSTEC members have economic opportunities to share, said Narendra Modi |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/brics-summit-2016-bimstec-members-have-economic-opportunities-to-share-said-narendra-modi/articleshow/54883267.cms|website=The Economic Times|access-date=16 October 2016}}</ref> Following the inclusion of Myanmar on 22 December 1997 during a special Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, the [https://thekootneeti.in/2017/10/12/bimstec-a-desirable-alternative-to-saarc-and-an-extra-feather-to-indias-act-east-policy/ Group was renamed ‘BIMST-EC]’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). In 1998, Nepal became an observer. In February 2004, Nepal and [[Bhutan]] became full members.

On 31 July 2004, in the first Summit the grouping was renamed as BIMSTEC or the [[Bay of Bengal]] Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.<ref>See for a detailed historical account of the founding and evolution of BIST-EC and BIMST-EC e.g. Michael, Arndt (2013). India's Foreign Policy and Regional Multilateralism (Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 145–163.</ref>

== Objective ==
There are 16 main sectors of BIMSTEC along technological and economic cooperation among South Asian and Southeast Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

# Trade & Investment
# Transport & Communication
# Energy
# Tourism
# Technology
# Fisheries
# Agriculture
# Public Health
# Poverty Alleviation
# Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime
# Environment & Disaster Management
# People-to-People Contact
# Cultural Cooperation
# Climate Change

Sectors 7 to 13 were added at the 8th Ministerial Meeting in Dhaka in 2005 while the 14th sector was added in 11th Ministerial Meeting in New Delhi in 2008.

Member nations are denoted as Lead Countries for each sector.
* Provides cooperation to one another for the provision of training and research facilities in educational vocational and technical fields
* Promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in economic, social, technical and scientific fields of common interest
* Provides help to increase the socio-economic growth of the member countries

== Permanent Secretariat ==
The [[BIMSTEC]] '''Permanent Secretariat''' at [[Dhaka]] was opened in 2014 and India contributes 32% of its expenditure.<ref name=lead1/><ref name=lead2>{{Cite web |url=http://bimstec.org/area-of-cooperation/ |title=Area of cooperation |access-date=21 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052951/http://bimstec.org/area-of-cooperation/ |archive-date=22 December 2017}}</ref> The current [[Secretary General]] of the [[BIMSTEC]] is [[Ambassador]] [[Tenzin Lekphell]] from [[Bhutan]] and the former [[Secretary General]] was [[M Shahidul Islam]] from [[Bangladesh]]. And First [[Secretary General]] was [[Sumith Nakandala]] from [[Sri Lanka]].

== Chairmanship ==
{{Supranational Asian Bodies|align=right|size=380px}}
The BIMSTEC uses the alphabetical order for the Chairmanship. The Chairmanship of the BIMSTEC has been taken in rotation commencing with Bangladesh (1997–1999).<ref name="Summit declaration">{{cite web | url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=104505 | title=Third BIMSTEC Summit Declaration | access-date=12 March 2014}}</ref>

== Member nations ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Countries
![[Head of state]]
![[Head of government]]
![[Chief executive (gubernatorial)|Chief executive]]
![[Population]]
![[Gross domestic product|Nominal GDP]] / {{USD}}billion<ref name="GDP IMF">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=57&pr.y=17&sy=2019&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C668%2C914%2C672%2C612%2C946%2C614%2C137%2C311%2C546%2C213%2C674%2C911%2C676%2C314%2C548%2C193%2C556%2C122%2C678%2C912%2C181%2C313%2C867%2C419%2C682%2C513%2C684%2C316%2C273%2C913%2C868%2C124%2C921%2C339%2C948%2C638%2C943%2C514%2C686%2C218%2C688%2C963%2C518%2C616%2C728%2C223%2C836%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C962%2C156%2C142%2C626%2C449%2C628%2C564%2C228%2C565%2C924%2C283%2C233%2C853%2C632%2C288%2C636%2C293%2C634%2C566%2C238%2C964%2C662%2C182%2C960%2C359%2C423%2C453%2C935%2C968%2C128%2C922%2C611%2C714%2C321%2C862%2C243%2C135%2C248%2C716%2C469%2C456%2C253%2C722%2C642%2C942%2C643%2C718%2C939%2C724%2C734%2C576%2C644%2C936%2C819%2C961%2C172%2C813%2C132%2C726%2C646%2C199%2C648%2C733%2C915%2C184%2C134%2C524%2C652%2C361%2C174%2C362%2C328%2C364%2C258%2C732%2C656%2C366%2C654%2C144%2C336%2C146%2C263%2C463%2C268%2C528%2C532%2C923%2C944%2C738%2C176%2C578%2C534%2C537%2C536%2C742%2C429%2C866%2C433%2C369%2C178%2C744%2C436%2C186%2C136%2C925%2C343%2C869%2C158%2C746%2C439%2C926%2C916%2C466%2C664%2C112%2C826%2C111%2C542%2C298%2C967%2C927%2C443%2C846%2C917%2C299%2C544%2C582%2C941%2C474%2C446%2C754%2C666%2C698&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a= |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2019 |date=15 October 2019 |website=IMF.org |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]|access-date=3 September 2019}}</ref>
![[World Bank]]
![[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation|SAARC]]
|-
|{{flag|Bangladesh}}
|[[Abdul Hamid (politician)|Abdul Hamid]], [[President of Bangladesh]]
|[[Sheikh Hasina]], [[Prime Minister of Bangladesh]]
|Prime Minister
| align=right | {{UN_Population|Bangladesh}}
| align=right | 396.543
|{{y}}
|{{y}}
|-
|{{flag|Bhutan}}
|[[Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck]], [[King of Bhutan]]
|[[Lotay Tshering]], [[Prime Minister of Bhutan]]
|Prime Minister
| align=right | {{UN_Population|Bhutan}}
| align=right | 2.653
|{{y}}
|{{y}}
|-
|{{Flag|India}}
|[[Ram Nath Kovind]], [[President of India]]
|[[Narendra Modi]], [[Prime Minister of India]]
|Prime Minister
| align=right | {{UN_Population|India}}
| align=right | 3,534.743
|{{y}}
|{{y}}
|-
|{{Flag|Myanmar}}
| [[Myint Swe]], Acting [[President of Myanmar]]
| [[Min Aung Hlaing]], [[Prime Minister of Myanmar]]
| Prime Minister{{efn|name=Myanmar junta|The [[President of Myanmar|president]] is the constitutional chief executive, but Acting President [[Myint Swe]] has delegated his executive authority to military leader [[Min Aung Hlaing]] for the duration of an [[2021 Myanmar coup d'état|ongoing state of emergency]].}}
| align=right | {{UN_Population|Myanmar}}
| align=right | 69.262
|{{y}}
|{{n}}
|-
|{{Flag|Nepal}}
|[[Bidhya Devi Bhandari]], [[President of Nepal]]
|[[Sher Bahadur Deuba]], [[Prime Minister of Nepal]]
|Prime Minister
| align=right | {{UN_Population|Nepal}}
| align=right | 36.315
|{{y}}
|{{y}}
|-
|{{Flag|Sri Lanka}}
|[[Gotabaya Rajapaksa]], [[President of Sri Lanka]]
|[[Ranil Wickremesinghe]], [[Prime Minister of Sri Lanka]]
|President
| align=right | {{UN_Population|Sri Lanka}}
| align=right | 81.934
|{{y}}
|{{y}}
|-
|{{Flag|Thailand}}
|[[Vajiralongkorn]] (Rama X), [[King of Thailand]]
|[[Prayut Chan-o-cha]], [[Prime Minister of Thailand]]
|Prime Minister
| align=right | {{UN_Population|Thailand}}
| align=right | 522.012
|{{y}}
|{{n}}
|}

===Heads of the member nations===
Leaders are either [[head of state|heads of state]] or [[head of government|heads of government]], depending on which is constitutionally the [[Chief executive (gubernatorial)|chief executive]] of the nation's government.

<gallery class="center" widths="150" heights="200" classes="center">
File:Sheikh Hasina 2018 (cropped).JPG|{{flag|Bangladesh|name=People's Republic of Bangladesh}} '''[[Sheikh Hasina]]''' [[Prime Minister of Bangladesh]]
File:Lotay Tshering December 2018 crop.jpg|{{flag|Bhutan|name=Kingdom of Bhutan}} '''[[Lotay Tshering]]''' [[List of prime ministers of Bhutan|Prime Minister of Bhutan]]
File:Narendra Modi interacting with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Joe Biden, during the India-US virtual summit, in New Delhi on April 11, 2022 (3) (cropped).jpg|{{flag|Republic of India}} '''[[Narendra Modi]]''' [[Prime Minister of India]]
File:Мин Аун Хлайн в Татарстане 04 (25-06-2021) (cropped 3).jpg|{{flag|Republic of the Union of Myanmar}} '''[[Min Aung Hlaing]]''' [[Prime Minister of Myanmar]]{{efn|name=Myanmar junta}}
File:Sher Bahadur Deuba November 2021 crop.jpg|{{flag|Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal}} '''[[Sher Bahadur Deuba]]''' [[List of prime ministers of Nepal|Prime Minister of Nepal]]
File:Gotabaya Rajapaksa November 2019 crop.jpg|{{flag|Sri Lanka|name=Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka}} '''[[Gotabaya Rajapaksa]]''' [[President of Sri Lanka]]
File:Prayut_Chan-o-cha_at_the_Enthronement_of_Naruhito_(1).jpg|{{flag|Thailand|name=Kingdom of Thailand}} '''[[Prayut Chan-o-cha]]''' [[Prime Minister of Thailand]]
</gallery>

== BIMSTEC priority sectors ==
14 priority areas have been identified with the lead nations appointed to lead the effort:<ref name=lead1>[http://www.indiawrites.org/bimstec-building-bridges-between-south-asia-southeast-asia/ BIMSTEC: Building bridges between South Asia & Southeast Asia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051536/http://www.indiawrites.org/bimstec-building-bridges-between-south-asia-southeast-asia/ |date=22 December 2017 }}, IndiaWrites, 2014.</ref><ref name=lead5>{{Cite web|url=http://bimstec.org/sectors/energy/|title=Energy|website=bimstec.org|language=en-US|access-date=6 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206152918/http://bimstec.org/sectors/energy/|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.bimstec.org/index.php?page=sectors BIMSTC sectors]</ref>
The organisation has 15 priority areas for cooperation, including Trade & Investment, Transport & Communication, Energy, Tourism, Technology, Fisheries, Agriculture, Public Health, Poverty Alleviation, Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime, Environment & Disaster Management, People-to-People Contact, Cultural Cooperation, Climate Change and Blue Economy.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Priority Area
! Lead Country
! Centre
! Comments
|-
|| Transport and communication || rowspan="4" | {{IND}} || ||
|-
|| Tourism || BIMSTEC Tourism Information Centre, [[Delhi]] ||
|-
|| Counterterrorism and transnational crime || || Four subgroups: Intelligence sharing – Sri Lanka (lead), Terror financing – Thailand, Legal – Myanmar, Law enforcement and narcotics – {{flag|Myanmar}}
|-
|| Environment and disaster management || BIMSTEC Weather and Climate Centre, [[Noida]] ||
|-
|| Energy || {{flag|Myanmar}} || BIMSTEC Energy Centre, [[Bengaluru]] || BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection MoU signed in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sasec.asia/index.php?page=news&nid=659&url=india-cabinet-approves-bimstec|title=India Cabinet Approves Signing of BIMSTEC Power Grid Pact {{!}} News {{!}} South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation|website=www.sasec.asia|language=en-US|access-date=6 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-11-06/nepal-to-join-bimstec-grid-interconnection.html|title=Nepal to join BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection|access-date=6 December 2017|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|| Public Health || {{flag|Thailand}} || BIMSTEC Network of Traditional Medicine in India ||
|-
|| Agriculture || {{flag|Myanmar}} || ||
|-
|| Trade & Investment || {{flag|Bangladesh}} || ||
|-
|| Technology || {{flag|Sri Lanka}} || ||
|-
|| Fisheries || {{flag|Thailand}} || ||
|-
|| People-to-People Contact || {{flag|Thailand}} || ||
|-
|| Poverty Alleviation || {{flag|Nepal}} || ||
|-
|| Climate Change || {{flag|Bangladesh}} || ||
|-
|| Cultural Cooperation || {{flag|Bhutan}} || || 1200 ITEC scholarships by India
|}

In a virtual BIMSTEC Colombo summit which took place on March 30, 2022, decision was taken to reduce, re-constitute and reconstruct the number of sectors of co-operation from the unwieldy 14 to a more manageable 7.
# Trade, Investment and Development - '''Bangladesh'''
# Environment and Climate Change - '''Bhutan'''
# Security and Energy - '''India'''
# Agriculture and Food Security - '''Myanmar'''
# People-to-people Contact - '''Nepal'''
# Science, Technology and Innovation - '''Sri Lanka'''
# Connectivity - '''Thailand'''

== BIMSTEC Free Trade Area Framework Agreement ==
The '''BIMSTEC Free Trade Area Framework Agreement (BFTAFA)''' has been signed by all member nations to stimulate trade and investment in the parties, and attract outsiders to trade with and invest in the BIMSTEC countries at a higher level. Subsequently, the ''"Trade Negotiating Committee"'' (TNC) was set up, with Thailand as the permanent chair, to negotiate in areas of trade in goods and services, investment, economic co-operation, trade facilitations and technical assistance for LDCs. Once negotiation on trade in goods is completed, the TNC would then proceed with negotiation on trade in services and investment.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://asianews.eu/content/bimstec-committee-mulls-free-trade-deal-dhaka-85786| title=Bimstec committee mulls free trade deal in Dhaka| date=13 November 2018| access-date=30 March 2019| archive-date=30 March 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330010611/http://asianews.eu/content/bimstec-committee-mulls-free-trade-deal-dhaka-85786| url-status=dead}}</ref>

The '''BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement''' draft was discussed on 1 December 2017 in [[New Delhi]], to facilitate coastal shipping within 20 nautical miles of the coastline in the region to boost trade between the member countries. Compared to the deep sea shipping, coastal ship require smaller vessels with lesser draft and involve lower costs. Once the agreement becomes operational after it is ratified, a lot of cargo movement between the member countries can be done through the cost effective, environment friendly and faster coastal shipping routes.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=174036 |title = BIMSTEC Member States discuss draft text of Coastal Shipping Agreement}}</ref>
The necessity for coastal shipping ecosystem and electricity grid interconnectivity, as two of the necessary components of the evolving shape of BIMSTEC.

On 7 and 8 November 2019, the first ever '''BIMSTEC Conclave of Ports''' summit was held in [[Visakhapatnam]], India.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/32010/First+BIMSTEC+Conclave+of+Ports+Vishakhapatnam+November+78+2019 |title = First BIMSTEC Conclave of Ports, Vishakhapatnam (November 7-8, 2019)}}</ref> The main aims of this summit is providing a platform to strengthen maritime interaction, port-led connectivity initiatives and sharing best practices among member countries.

In 2022 summit saw the declaration of the Master Plan for Transport Connectivity that would provide a framework for regional and domestic connectivity,

== Cooperation with Asian Development Bank (ADB) ==
The [[Asian Development Bank]] (ADB) becomes a partner in 2005, to undertake the "BIMSTEC Transport Infrastructure and Logistic Study" (BTILS), which was completed in 2014.<ref>[http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/kavita-iyengar-RPDSTCSA-20nov2014.pdf BIMSTEC Transport Infrastructure and Logistic Study]</ref>

==BIMSTEC Summits==
[[File:The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh alongwith the other Heads of State attending the BIMST-EC Summit pose for a group photograph, in New Delhi on November 13, 2008.jpg|thumb|Second Summit at [[New Delhi]], India]]
[[File:The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh at the third Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on March 04, 2014 (1).jpg|thumb|Third Summit at [[Naypyidaw]], [[Myanmar]]]]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No.
! Date
! Host country
! Host city
|-
| 1st
| 31 July 2004
| {{flag|Thailand}}
| [[Bangkok]]
|-
| 2nd
| 13 November 2008
| {{flag|India}}
| [[New Delhi]]
|-
| 3rd
| 4 March 2014
| {{flag|Myanmar}}
| [[Naypyidaw]]<ref>{{cite web|title=BIMSTEC Summit|url=http://www.bimstec.org/index.php?page=bimstec-summit|website=Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation|access-date=17 December 2016}}</ref>
|-
| 4th
| 30–31 August 2018
| {{flag|Nepal}}
| [[Kathmandu]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Nepal proposes dates for Bimstec Summit |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/nepal-proposes-dates-for-bimstec-summit-118060500116_1.html |website=Business Standard India |access-date=1 July 2018 |date=5 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="BIMSTEC2018" /><ref name="JJBIMSTECSL">{{cite web |date=31 August 2018 |title=4th BIMSTEC Summit: Kathmandu Declaration adopted by Member States |url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/4th-bimstec-summit-2018-held-1535606162-1 |access-date=31 August 2018}}</ref>
|-
| 5th
| 30 March 2022
| {{flag|Sri Lanka}}
| [[Colombo]] ([[Web conferencing|Virtual meeting]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=5th BIMSTEC Summit, Sri Lanka (March 30, 2022) |url=https://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/35077/5th+BIMSTEC+Summit+Sri+Lanka+March+30+2022 |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=mea.gov.in}}</ref>
|-
|}

== Projects ==
* Coast shipping
* Power grid interconnection
* Regional disaster monitoring and warning system
* Road and rail [[India–Myanmar barrier#Look-East Connectivity|Look-East connectivity projects]]

== See also ==
* [[ASEAN]] & [[India–Myanmar barrier#Look-East Connectivity|Look-East connectivity projects]]
* [[Asia Cooperation Dialogue]]
* [[Asian Clearing Union]]
* [[Asian Development Bank]]
* [[BBIN|Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal Initiative]] (BBIN)
* [[8th BRICS summit#BRICS-BIMSTEC Summit|BRICS-BIMSTEC Summit, 2016]]
* [[Mekong-Ganga Cooperation]]
* [[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation]] (SAARC)
* [[South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130511081102/http://www.bimstec.org/free_trade.html BIMSTEC free trade agreement]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180902220614/https://www.modisarkar.tk/2018/09/2018-bimstec-bay-of-initiative-for.html?m=1 2018 BIMSTEC Summit]

{{BIMSTEC}}
{{Foreign relations of Bangladesh}}
{{Foreign relations of India}}
{{Regional organizations}}
{{Asia topics}}

[[Category:1997 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:International economic organizations]]
[[Category:International organizations based in Asia]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1997]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of India]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Nepal]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Thailand]]
[[Category:Bay of Bengal]]
[[Category:Bhutan–India relations]]

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Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation