PM Modi To Attend BIMSTEC Summit In Earthquake-Hit Thailand On April 3-4
This is PM Modi's third visit to Thailand to attend the BIMSTEC Summit. He will call on his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra and will embark on a visit to Sri Lanka next.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Thailand to attend the BIMSTEC Summit, during which the regional grouping is likely to adopt the Bangkok Vision 2030 and sign a pact to strengthen maritime cooperation.
Though Thailand is grappling with the damage caused in the country, including in Bangkok, by a massive earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday afternoon, there were no immediate indications about its effect on the BIMSTEC Summit scheduled from April 2 to April 4. Modi will be in Bangkok on April 3-4.
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Besides India and Thailand, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
“We are in touch with authorities on this. There is nothing at the moment to indicate, either way, whether it is going to have any effect on the summit," Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in response to reporters’ questions on the earthquake’s impact on the summit.
The ministry said at the Bangkok summit, the BIMSTEC leaders are expected to deliberate on ways and means to infuse greater momentum in cooperation among the member nations.
The theme for the summit is “Proactive, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC (PRO- BIMSTEC)" and the Bangkok Vision 2030 is expected to set a clear direction and goals for cooperation, and promote the region as an area of peace, stability and economic sustainability.
The vision will also dwell on enhancing cooperation on adaptation to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Besides Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Modi, the meeting is expected to be attended by Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya.
Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with Shinawatra and call on King Rama X.
“They will review the progress in the entire gamut of bilateral relations and ways to add greater momentum to the India-Thailand bilateral partnership and also exchange views on the regional and multilateral issues," Mazumdar said.
The BIMSTEC was established in 1997 as a regional cooperation platform comprising Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar. Nepal and Bhutan joined the grouping in 2004.
From Thailand, Modi will travel to Sri Lanka for a three-day visit during which he will hold discussions with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The two leaders will review the progress made in the areas of cooperation agreed upon in the joint vision for “fostering partnerships for a shared future" that was adopted during the Sri Lankan president’s visit to India, the MEA said.
Modi will also have meetings with senior dignitaries and political leaders in Colombo.
“As part of the visit, the prime minister will also travel to Anuradhapura for the inauguration of development projects implemented with Indian financial assistance," the MEA said.
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