BIMSTEC members urged to ignore bilateral tensions

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir has urged Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) member states to look beyond bilateral tensions and widen regional engagement, stressing mutual trust, political will and a shared sense of purpose to make the grouping more effective.

"For BIMSTEC to be successful, we must not dwell on bilateral tensions but widen the net of engagement," he said while speaking at a reception hosted by Bimstec Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey and his spouse Sushma Pandey at a hotel in Dhaka on Monday, marking Bimstec Secretariat Establishment Day.

Diplomats, including representatives from BIMSTEC member states, business leaders, civil society representatives and senior journalists attended the reception.

Humaiun said Bangladesh would work closely with all member states and the BIMSTEC Secretariat in the coming months to advance implementation across various mechanisms and prepare for the next Bimstec Summit, which Bangladesh is expected to host in Dhaka in 2027. The summit of heads of state and government in Dhaka would provide an important opportunity to review progress, set new priorities and give further political direction to the common regional agenda, he said.