National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Thursday called for stronger regional cooperation among BIMSTEC member states to address emerging security challenges, saying the current global environment of conflicts, geopolitical uncertainty and technological disruption requires collective action and “decisive actions” for the benefit of all member states.
Speaking at the fifth BIMSTEC National Security Advisors Meeting, Doval said: “We meet today against the backdrop of a challenging global landscape. We are witnessing geopolitical conflicts and uncertainties. We also face multi-faceted security threats, amplified by rapid technological progress. Disruptions in global supply chains have also led to economic hardship for all our countries.”
“In this context, there is an urgent need to cooperate and take decisive action for our mutual benefit and find solutions through mutual discussions and deliberations to the thorny problems we all face,” Doval was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Highlighting the importance of the Bay of Bengal cluster, Doval said the BIMSTEC project connects two of the world’s fastest growing regions and represents nearly 1.7 billion people – about 22 per cent of the world’s population – and a total GDP of about US$5 trillion.
He said: “We are united by the Bay of Bengal, not only geographically, but also through the deep civilizational and cultural heritage that has developed over a thousand years of common history.”
The NSA said the group has strengthened cooperation across several security areas and made significant progress in addressing common challenges. “Building on these unique connections, BIMSTEC has built strong cooperation across a range of sectors on the foundations of a great past. We strive to achieve a great future, sharing prosperity and resilience for all our peoples,” he said.
“We have strengthened cooperation in counter-terrorism, combating transnational organized crime, cyber threats, and countering maritime challenges, and we are ready to combat new and emerging threats together,” Duval said.
He stressed that BIMSTEC’s long-term priorities related to regional security, connectivity, capacity building and economic security should continue to shape the organization’s future efforts. “Bimstick’s long-term goals of regional security, connectivity, capacity building and economic security must continue to drive our collective efforts,” he said.
Describing BIMSTEC as a key pillar of India’s regional connectivity, Doval said: “For India, BIMSTEC represents our vision of Neighborhood First, our commitment to the Action East policy and the MAHASAGAR vision, which represents the mutual and comprehensive advancement of security and growth across regions.”
Duval’s appeal to BIMSTEC members
As BIMSTEC prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year, Duval urged member states to further strengthen cooperation and institutional capacity to enhance regional security and resilience.
“As BIMSTEC celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, let us commit to further expanding our cooperative potential and injecting new energy and resources in order to ensure regional security. We aim to build institutional capacity and cooperation across our priority sectors,” he said.
Expressing his confidence in the future of the organization, Duval said that the shared vision and trust among member states will continue to achieve meaningful results.
“I am sure that our shared vision and aspirations, coupled with mutual trust, will continue to achieve tangible results,” he said.
India is hosting the 5th BIMSTEC National Security Advisors Meeting in New Delhi.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was established on June 6, 1997, through the Bangkok Declaration. Initially launched as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation), the group expanded with Myanmar joining in December 1997, followed by Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004. It now has seven member states.
