SAARC, BIMSTEC not rivals
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Monday said Bangladesh views the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) as complementary regional platforms capable of jointly advancing connectivity, economic cooperation and the welfare of people across the region.
Speaking at a seminar titled “Three Decades of BIMSTEC: Advancing Regional Cooperation for Shared Prosperity” organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in the capital, Shama said Bangladesh’s current chairmanship of BIMSTEC comes at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty, climate challenges and global economic pressures, making effective regional cooperation more important than ever.
The seminar was attended by BIMSTEC Secretary General Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey as special guest, BIISS Director General Major General ASM Ridwanur Rahman, keynote speaker Dr Mahfuz Kabir, panelists Professor Dr Rasheduzzaman and Professor Dr Kazi Maruful Islam, and was chaired by Major General ANM Muniruzzaman (Retd), President of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies.
In her address, the state minister said the seven member states of BIMSTEC, home to more than 1.7 billion people, occupy a strategically important region linking South and Southeast Asia through the Bay of Bengal.
“As the lead country for trade, investment and development, Bangladesh attaches the highest importance to regional economic integration,” she said, adding that Dhaka would work to inject fresh momentum into negotiations on the proposed BIMSTEC Free Trade Area.
Shama also called for accelerated implementation of the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity and stressed the importance of sustainable development of the Blue Economy, including fisheries, shipping and renewable energy.
Referring to the Rohingya crisis, she urged BIMSTEC member states to help generate international support for the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of the displaced Myanmar nationals, saying lasting regional prosperity depended on peace, security and stability.
Later, speaking to journalists after the programme, Shama dismissed suggestions that SAARC and BIMSTEC compete with each other.
“BIMSTEC is a multilateral connectivity platform that includes many countries outside SAARC. There is no conflict between the two organisations. SAARC and BIMSTEC are complementary platforms and they can coexist,” she said.
She said, “SAARC was the vision of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. Its objective was to increase connectivity in South Asia and improve the lives of the people through greater trade and regional cooperation.”
“At present, SAARC’s activities have become limited. However, since the BNP is elected by the people and forms the government, we will work to revitalise SAARC in line with our election manifesto,” she said.
Addressing the seminar, BIMSTEC Secretary General Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey said the regional organisation was undergoing reforms and revitalisation that would enable it to emerge as a more efficient, effective and dynamic institution.
“We are located in a vital part of the Indo-Pacific and continue to enjoy the political support of all member states by staying away from political issues and focusing on tangible cooperation,” he said.
Pandey said BIMSTEC had already established the institutional mechanisms needed to pursue cooperation across 17 to 18 sectors and expressed confidence that the ongoing reforms would strengthen the organisation in the coming years.
Describing regional cooperation as essential for both development and security, he said BIMSTEC was currently the most appropriate platform for advancing the shared interests of Bangladesh and other member states in the Bay of Bengal region.
Highlighting Bangladesh’s contribution, he said the country had been a founding member of BIMSTEC, hosts its secretariat and has held the organisation’s chairmanship since the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in April 2025.
Pandey also said BIMSTEC enjoys bipartisan political support in Bangladesh, recalling that the late Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia represented the country at the organisation’s first summit in 2004 and strongly supported regional cooperation.
Rejecting comparisons between BIMSTEC and SAARC, he said the two organisations had different mandates and institutional frameworks.
“Comparing BIMSTEC and SAARC is misleading and misplaced. They are two different organisations with different charters and different ways of working,” he said, urging policymakers, researchers and the media to assess BIMSTEC on its own merits.
The seminar brought together senior government officials, diplomats, representatives of BIMSTEC member states and international organisations, academics, researchers, members of the armed forces, development partners, private sector representatives and students to discuss ways of strengthening regional cooperation, connectivity, trade, investment and institutional capacity across the Bay of Bengal region.
