Foreign ministers from seven countries in south and southeast Asia will meet in New Delhi this week to forge stronger ties and map out transportation and trade links, the Thai foreign ministry said.
The ministers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as part of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec), will be discussing methods of cooperation in 13 sectors, including transportation, energy, tourism, terrorism, trade and investment.
The meeting, which will take place on Friday, Aug 29, will highlight India's proposal to establish a joint weather and climate centre as well as an energy centre, said International Economic Affair Department deputy director-general Surasak Chuasukonthip.The issues of global climate change and the food and energy crises will also be discussed, since both regions have the potential and resources to produce alternative energy, he said.
Established in 1997, Bimstec was formerly named using the first initial of its founding members--Bangladesh, India, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka and Thailand--but the name was changed to reflect the nature of cooperation during the first Bangkok Summit in 2004.
Bimstec also aims to build land links connecting south and southeast Asia, but there are no clear plans for this yet.