H.E. Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, hosted a reception to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) at Vites Samosorn, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on 26 May 2017. The reception was attended by ambassadors and the diplomatic corps from BIMSTEC member countries and Asian countries in Thailand, the BIMSTEC Secretary-General, Thai government officials, scholars, and academia. There were also exhibitions featuring cultural works from the seven BIMSTEC member states.

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also co-organized an international conference on “Strengthening Cultural Linkages in the Bay of Bengal Region” at Chulalongkorn University on 27 – 28 May 2017 to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of BIMSTEC as well as the 100th Anniversary of Chulalongkorn University. Scholars and experts from BIMSTEC countries participated in the conference, which was aimed at exploring various aspects that make up the civilizations of BIMSTEC Countries from historical, trade, culture, tourism, to people-to-people contact. The meeting also deliberated on ways to move BIMSTEC forward.

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, as co-founder, attaches great importance to BIMSTEC since it serves as an essential mechanism of cooperation between Thailand and South Asia, in which it plays an active role. These commemorative events serve to reaffirm Thailand’s role in BIMSTEC and increase recognition of BIMSTEC in the international community.

 

BIMSTEC was established on 6 June 1997. Thailand initiated BIMSTEC in support of Thailand’s Look West policy and South Asian’s Act East. Comprising of seven member states, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, the BIMSTEC region is home to around 1.5 billion people or around 22% of the global population. 

 

BIMSTEC now has 14 areas of cooperation, namely Trade and Investment, Technology, Transport and Communication, Energy, Tourism, Agriculture, Health, Environment and Disaster Management, Counter-Terrorism, Poverty Eradication, Fisheries, Culture, Climate Change, and People-to-People Contact. Thailand is the lead country in the areas of Health, Fisheries, and People-to-People Contact.