External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday that the BIMSTEC member states must collectively combat terrorism and violent extremism as he emphasised India's commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation in sectors like connectivity, energy and maritime.
Addressing the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo, Mr Jaishankar also spoke about the situation in Ukraine and said that "the maintenance of international peace and security, and even stability can no longer be taken for granted." "The international system is going through a very challenging phase, perhaps one of the most difficult in recent memory. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have not yet fully abated. But recent developments in Ukraine have added to international disquiet," he said.
"We have all underscored that the maintenance of international peace and security, and even stability can no longer be taken for granted. We must recognise that we face headwinds - both from the global economy and in some cases from within our own domestic economies," he said.
Turning to India's cooperation with BIMSTEC member nations, Mr Jaishnakar said that cooperation on port facilities, ferry services, coastal shipping, grid connectivity and motor vehicles movement are the key.
"Much of what we can achieve in our national development efforts is, of course, predicated on a peaceful, secure and stable environment," he said.
"We cannot ignore the challenges that terrorism and violent extremism, as also transnational crime and narco-trafficking or indeed new challenges such as cyber-attacks, pose to all of us," Mr Jaishanakar said.
He emphasised that all of these affect their economic development efforts. "We need to put in place the remaining elements of the legal architecture that will enable our law enforcement agencies to collaborate more closely and more effectively," he said.
He also said that efforts to boost intra BIMSTEC trade and economic ties must be accelerated. The development of a network of regional supply and value chains will reduce the vulnerability to external shocks and give economies greater resilience and transparency.
Mr Jaishanker said that he was looking forward to the adoption of the Charter and Master Plan at the Summit on Wednesday.
"Tomorrow our leaders will adopt the BIMSTEC Charter. This is a landmark achievement in our effort to develop the institutional architecture for BIMSTEC. But we must not rest on this achievement and instead move on to ‘next steps' that can be taken to further strengthen BIMSTEC," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a release on his address.
"I am confident that we will identify priority institution-building tasks & areas of cooperation, and task our senior officials to work with the Secretary-General for their realisation," he said.
He also urged all BIMSTEC partners to consider joining the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
"Much of what we can achieve in our national development efforts is, of course, predicated on a peaceful, secure and stable environment," he said.
"The Bay of Bengal achieving SDG 14 targets and ensuring a ‘good order at sea' in keeping with international maritime law, particularly UNCLOS, is a priority," Jaishankar said in a veiled reference to aggressive Chinese activities in the Indo-Pacific.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) sets out the legal framework applicable to activities in the oceans, including countering illicit activities at sea.
It is a convention over which China, a veto-wielding permanent UN Security Council member, has had long-standing reservations and objections.
He further said that with respect to BIMSTEC, India will bring to bear all relevant policies and approaches – one, as Neighbourhood First, give it the utmost priority; two, in consonance with our SAGAR outlook, realise its full maritime potential; and three, as a first responder, be it on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) situations, Covid or economic recovery, be there at critical times.
Besides India and Sri Lanka, the BIMSTEC comprises Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.
The summit is being hosted by Sri Lanka in its capacity as the chair of the grouping BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the virtual summit of the BIMSTEC grouping on March 30, which is expected to focus on expanding economic engagement among its member countries.
Mr Jaishankar also welcomed Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand as the incoming BIMSTEC Chair.
"India looks forward to working with you Sir and your country, during the course of your Chairmanship to take the BIMSTEC agenda forward," he said.
Mr Jaishankar arrived in Colombo on Monday and held bilateral talks with Sri Lanka's top leadership. This is his first visit to the island nation since India extended an economic relief package to bail Sri Lanka out of the current economic crisis.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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