NSA Ajit Doval chaired the 5th BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs Meeting in New Delhi. Representatives of 7 member countries participated in it. The main agenda of the meeting was counter-terrorism, cyber security and strengthening regional maritime cooperation.
New Delhi [भारत]July 16 (ANI): National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Thursday chaired the fifth BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs’ Meeting. The meeting was hosted by top intelligence and security officials of the Bay of Bengal region to strengthen regional stability.
The high-level gathering was attended by representatives of seven member countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. All the delegates posed for a joint group photo. The discussions in the meeting mainly focused on counter-terrorism, cyber security and strengthening regional maritime cooperation.
BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey participated in the meeting along with delegations from all member countries.
Representatives of these countries took part
Nepal was represented by Home Secretary Raj Kumar Shrestha. The Thai delegation was led by Chatchai Bangchaud, Secretary-General of the National Security Council. Bangachaud also held bilateral talks with NSA Doval on Wednesday, which focused on enhancing intelligence sharing and law enforcement cooperation. Sri Lanka was represented by Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyakontha, Secretary, Ministry of Defence. The Bangladesh delegation was led by Dr. Shamsul Islam, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and also included M Riyaz Hamidullah, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India. Myanmar was represented by Minister in the Office of the President Tin Aung San. The Bhutanese delegation included Home Secretary Sonam Wangyal and Bhutan’s Ambassador to India Major General Wetsop Namgyal.
Ajit Doval mentioned these challenges
Meanwhile, Doval stressed the need for closer regional cooperation to deal with emerging security challenges. He said the current global scenario marked by conflicts, geopolitical uncertainties and technological disruptions requires BIMSTEC member countries to work together and take “decisive action” for their mutual benefit.
Addressing the fifth BIMSTEC National Security Advisors Meeting, Doval said, “We meet today against the backdrop of a challenging global scenario. We are witnessing conflicts and geopolitical uncertainties. We also face multi-regional security threats heightened by rapid technological advances. Disruptions in global supply chains have also created economic hardship for all our countries.”
‘Urgent need for decisive action’
He further said, “In this environment, it is urgent for us to cooperate, take decisive action for our mutual benefit, and engage in mutual discussion and deliberations to find solutions to the complex problems we all face.”
‘BIMSTEC connects two of the world’s most dynamic regions’
Highlighting the importance of the Bay of Bengal grouping, Doval said BIMSTEC connects two of the world’s most dynamic regions and represents a population of 1.7 billion people, about 22 per cent of the global population, with a combined GDP of about US$5 trillion. “We are linked by the Bay of Bengal not only geographically, but also by deep civilizational and cultural heritages that have evolved over a millennium of shared history,” he said.
‘Cooperation increased in fighting terrorism’
The NSA said BIMSTEC has built strong cooperation across multiple security areas and made significant progress in countering common threats. He said, “Based on these unique bonds, BIMSTEC builds on strong cooperation in many sectors, building on the foundation of a great past. We strive to achieve a great future, sharing prosperity and resilience for all our people.”
“We have advanced and strengthened cooperation in fighting terrorism, countering transnational organized crime, countering cyber threats, maritime challenges, and we stand ready to tackle new and emerging threats together,” Doval said. He stressed that BIMSTEC’s long-term goals of regional security, connectivity, capacity building and economic security should continue to guide the group’s collective efforts.
What is BIMSTEC?
BIMSTEC is a major regional organization established with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration on June 6, 1997. Initially it was known as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation). With the joining of Myanmar on 22 December 1997 and Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004, the organization is now known as BIMSTEC and consists of seven member states. (ANI)
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