BIMSTEC sees stronger regional prospects despite implementation challenges

As the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) enters its fourth decade, the regional bloc is making steady progress in connectivity, trade, security and people to people exchanges despite implementation challenges.
BIMSTEC Secretary General Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey on Tuesday said the Bay of Bengal regional grouping has made steady progress in connectivity, security and economic cooperation despite implementation challenges.
Replying to questions from journalists at the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka, Pandey said connectivity would remain at the heart of the organisation’s future agenda, while greater political commitment and practical cooperation were essential to translate agreements into tangible benefits for people across the region.
On physical connectivity, he said member states were implementing the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, with around 60 per cent of the identified projects already under implementation.
“In terms of implementation of the Master Plan, we have made progress. In maritime connectivity we are going to make further progress, and negotiations on land transport agreements will also facilitate the movement of people across borders once the necessary infrastructure is in place,” he said.
He added that the entry into force of the Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation and the establishment of the Joint Committee would further strengthen regional connectivity.
“Connectivity will remain very important for us and we will continue to make progress,” he said.
On the proposed BIMSTEC Free Trade Area, Pandey acknowledged that negotiations had taken longer than expected but stressed that complex multilateral trade talks inevitably required more time than bilateral agreements.
“The goal is very clear. We need to have more trade and there are opportunities to do so,” he said.
He said negotiations were continuing under six working groups covering different constituent agreements and voiced hope that progress would be made in finalising some of them in the coming months and years.
Expressing optimism that Bangladesh’s chairmanship would inject fresh momentum into trade negotiations and regional integration, he said, “We are quite hopeful that Bangladesh, under its chairmanship, will certainly focus on making progress in these negotiations by convening meetings more often so that we can provide the much needed push.”
Pandey said BIMSTEC was also pursuing complementary initiatives beyond the Free Trade Area, including stronger business to business links, cooperation among chambers of commerce, closer coordination among investment promotion authorities and greater harmonisation of product standards to facilitate trade.
On visa facilitation among member states, he said easier travel remained essential for expanding tourism, trade and people to people exchanges.
“If we need to have more travel, more tourism and more exchanges, ease of travel through visa facilitation is very important,” he said, adding that member states were working towards a consensus on an appropriate framework.
Discussing regional security, Pandey said the recent meeting of National Security Advisers had enabled member states to exchange views candidly on emerging challenges in an informal setting.
He said the discussions focused on future security threats and ways of strengthening regional cooperation, although details of the closed door deliberations would remain confidential.
Regarding cyber security, he said member states had agreed that emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and quantum computing, would pose new challenges requiring enhanced regional cooperation.
“There was a desire to look at future technologies which will impact cyber security. AI applications and the challenge of quantum computing can fundamentally affect existing security systems,” he said.
He added that BIMSTEC’s expert group on cyber security had been tasked with examining these emerging risks and recommending appropriate responses.
Responding to questions on cyber scams and human trafficking, Pandey said Myanmar had taken steps to dismantle criminal centres following discussions among National Security Advisers since 2024 and had cooperated with neighbouring countries in addressing the problem.
“This issue has been discussed again and we have seen significant progress in dealing with it,” he said.
Asked about BIMSTEC’s effectiveness compared with other regional organisations, Pandey urged observers to judge the grouping on its own achievements and objectives rather than through comparisons.
“BIMSTEC was created to bring South Asia and Southeast Asia together. Please look at its history, its achievements so far and what it is going to do in future,” he said.
He noted that regular meetings of ministers, senior officials, expert groups and National Security Advisers demonstrated the sustained commitment of member states despite differences in bilateral relations.
“The very fact that all these meetings are taking place on a regular basis means our member states are committed to engage in cooperation,” he said.
Acknowledging that implementation remained one of BIMSTEC’s principal challenges, Pandey said the organisation had deliberately prioritised practical cooperation over publicity.
“We have actually focused on cooperation on the ground. Our focus has been on ensuring that all member states benefit, and this will remain our perspective,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of people centred regionalism, Pandey said stronger cultural, educational, tourism and youth exchanges would help deepen regional integration.
“People to people relations have always been the bridge between civilisations,” he said. “What BIMSTEC is trying to do is revive those links through culture, tourism, youth exchanges, sports and other forms of cooperation.”
He said BIMSTEC would continue expanding such initiatives as part of its broader vision of building a more connected, secure and prosperous Bay of Bengal region.
The Secretary General also sought greater cooperation from the media to promote BIMSTEC, whose headquarters are in Dhaka, saying wider dissemination of information about the bloc would strengthen regional integration and cooperation among its member states.