DHAKA – The Rohingya issue is expected to be discussed at the Retreat (informal) Session of the 4th BIMSTEC Summit to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from August 30 to 31.
“As BIMSTEC is the forum for regional economic cooperation, there is less opportunity to talk about political issue. But, Rohingya issue may be
discussed at the informal retreat session of the summit,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam told a press briefing on upcoming 4th
BIMSTEC summit here.
He said: “If any member state raises the Rohingya issue for discussion at the retreat session, Bangladesh would be happy to discuss”.
This sub-regional organisation “BIMSTEC – the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation” came into being on June 6, 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. It comprises seven member states – five from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and two from Southeast Asia (Myanmar and Thailand).
Head of the states of all member countries, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will join the summit that is expected to witness sign
of two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on regional cooperation.
The Bangladesh premier will leave Dhaka for Kathmandu tomorrow on a two- day official visit to attend the Summit under theme – “Towards a Peaceful, Prosperous and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region”.
Indian Premier Narendra Modi and Myanmar President Win Myint are also expected to join the summit that adds extra attention centering the ongoing Rohingya crisis in the region.
The Myanmar military launched a brutal crackdown in northwestern Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August last year after rebel attacks on its police posts and a military base. The crackdown is believed to have killed about 25,000 Rohingyas and drove 700,000 of them out of their home to take refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Shahriar said countering terrorism, enhancing regional connectivity, boosting trade poverty alleviation and climate change are expected to be the
key focus of the summit.
Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will inaugurate the summit on Thursday afternoon at Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza in Kathmandu with the
participation of the leaders of the seven-nation regional grouping that constitutes a bridge between South and South East Asia and represents a
reinforcement of relations among these countries.
Sheikh Hasina will deliver her speech just after welcome speech of the Nepalese Prime Minister. On next day, the leaders will join the retreat session where two agreements will be signed among the member states, Shahriar said. The agreements are – ‘Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection’ that aims to set up power grids among the member states under a large framework to promote regional power trade and ‘BIMSEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters’ that aims to check criminal activities within the region through sharing information. After the retreat session, the leaders of the member states will issue a joint declaration.
On the sideline of the summit, the leaders of the region will hold bilateral meetings. “We are expecting a bilateral meeting between our Honourable Prime Minister and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Shahriar said.
As the founder member as well as host country of BIMSTEC Secretariat that was established in Dhaka in 2014, the State Minister said, Bangladesh put
highest importance on the summit aiming at increasing regional cooperation for attaining more prosperity and securing peace in the region.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her entourage will depart Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport here for Kathmandu tomorrow morning. The flight is scheduled to reach Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at 9:15 am local time.
Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister Ishwor Pokharel and Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal Mashfee Binte Shams will receive the Bangladesh premier at the airport.
After the reception at the airport, Sheikh Hasina will be escorted to Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plazza at Tahachal Marg in a ceremonial motorcade where she will be staying during her visit to Nepal.
On the first day of her visit, the Prime Minister will call on Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari at Sheetal Nibash, the Presidential Palace, in
the capital city. She will also attend a banquet luncheon there to be hosted by the Nepalese President before formal inauguration of the summit.
Sheikh Hasina and other leaders will also join a gala dinner to be hosted by Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in the city’s Hyatt Regency Hotel in the evening on that day.
She will return home on Friday noon. Initially, the economic bloc was formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) in 1997.
Following the inclusion of Myanmar on December 22, 1997 during a special Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, the group was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
With the admission of Nepal and Bhutan at the 6th Ministerial Meeting (February 2004, Thailand), the name of the group was changed to ‘Bay of
Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC).
The objective of building such an alliance was to harness shared and accelerated growth through mutual cooperation in different areas of common
interests by mitigating the onslaught of globalisation and utilising regional resources and geographical advantages.
