Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi met each other in Bangkok at an official dinner for BIMSTEC leaders hosted by Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday.
The Thai prime minister welcomed the BIMSTEC leaders and exchanged pleasantries at the Grand Ballroom of Shangri-La Hotel, chief adviser鈥檚 deputy press secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said.
Professor Yunus arrived in the Thai capital earlier in the day to join the 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Summit, scheduled to be held today.
He was received by Thai minister in attendance Jiraporn Sindhuprai at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok at around 12:00 noon Thailand local time.
The chief adviser is scheduled to hold a number of bilateral meetings with BIMSTEC leaders on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit, including meetings with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Bhutanese prime minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
This will be the biggest India-Bangladesh diplomatic development since the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government amid a mass uprising on August 5, 2024 and the formation of an interim government led by Professor Yunus on August 8, 2024 if Yunus and Modi hold talks today, observers say.
Secretary general of BIMSTEC Indra Mani Pandey will also meet the chief adviser.
Thailand鈥檚 minister for social development and human security Varawut Silpa-archa and Thailand鈥檚 minister attached to the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office Jiraporn Sindhuprai called on Professor Yunus on Thursday.
Bangladesh sees this year鈥檚 BIMSTEC Summit, scheduled to be held on April 4, 鈥渧ery important鈥� for the country as it will assume the chairmanship of the grouping for the next two years.
Dhaka also thinks the summit will provide them with an opportunity to present a 鈥渏ust and inclusive鈥� Bangladesh in South and Southeast Asia, officials said this week.
On Thursday afternoon, the chief adviser delivered a keynote speech titled 鈥淏IMSTEC Young Generation Forum: Where the Future Meets鈥� at BIMSTEC Young Gen Forum on the sidelines of BIMSTEC Summit.
In his speech, he called on the youths to build themselves as 鈥渢hree-zero persons鈥� to protect the planet from destruction.
鈥淚f we want to provide service, we will have to go to a new civilisation of three zeros - zero carbon emission, zero waste and zero wealth concentration,鈥� he told the forum.
The theme of the 6th BIMSTEC summit is 鈥淧rosperous, Resilient, and Open BIMSTEC鈥�.
The summit, which aims at fostering collaboration among the member states to address the shared security and developmental challenges, will provide a new impetus to the efforts underway to realise the goal of a prosperous, resilient and open BIMSTEC, according to the BIMSTEC secretariat.
Foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin said that the summit would further 鈥渟trengthen and deepen鈥� the relationship between Bangladesh and other BIMSTEC member states and will play an important role in advancing regional peace and development.
鈥淚t goes without saying that this 6th BIMSTEC Summit is a new step for the new Bangladesh in the regional arena through BIMSTEC,鈥� he said, hoping that the 6th BIMSTEC Summit will be successful.
At the beginning of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, leaders will take a group photo which will be followed by a welcome address by the BIMSTEC chair, prime minister of Thailand. One-minute silence will be observed for the recent earthquake victims.
After the adoption of the agenda, leaders of the BIMSTEC will make their statements.
After handing over BIMSTEC chairmanship, the new chairman of BIMSTEC will make his remarks while the Thai prime minister will make closing remarks, an official told UNB.
The summit, which aims at fostering collaboration among the member states to address the shared security and developmental challenges, will provide a new impetus to the efforts underway to realise the goal of a prosperous, resilient and open BIMSTEC, according to the BIMSTEC secretariat.
The summit, the BIMSTEC headquarters said, has a rich agenda - adoption of the declaration of 6th BIMSTEC Summit, which will reflect the vision of the leaders as well as their decisions and directives; adoption of the Bangkok Vision 2030.
Signing of the agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation aims at expanding maritime transport in Bay of Bengal with a view to enhancing transport of cargo as well as people enabling more trade and travel amongst the member States.
Meanwhile, signing of the memoranda of understanding between the BIMSTEC and the Indian Ocean Rim Association, and the BIMSTEC and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, are part of agenda which will herald a new era of developmental partnerships between BIMSTEC and these organisations.
Adoption of the Rules of Procedure for the BIMSTEC Mechanisms, which, together with the Charter, lay the foundation of institutional framework for regional cooperation under BIMSTEC; and adoption of the Report of Eminent Persons Group on the Future Direction of BIMSTEC are among the agenda.
The group held six meetings in 2024. It consulted the relevant stakeholders and finalised its Report in September 2024 after extensive deliberations.
Since BIMSTEC鈥檚 inception in June 1997, five Summits have been held in Bangkok (2004), New Delhi (2008), Nay Pyi Taw (2014), Kathmandu (2018) and Colombo (2022).
It pursues regional cooperation in seven broad sectors -- Agriculture and Food Security, Connectivity, Environment and Climate Change, People-to-People Contact, Science, Technology and Innovation, Security, and Trade, Investment and Development.
The cooperation also covers eight sub-sectors - Blue Economy, Mountain Economy, Energy, Disaster Management, Fisheries & Livestock, Poverty Alleviation, Health, and Human Resource Development.
