Bangkok: The 6th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), along with the 20th Ministerial Meeting and the 25th Senior Officials Meeting, was held from 02nd to 04th April 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme ‘Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC.’ The Summit was chaired by the Kingdom of Thailand.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka delegation to the Summit, led by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, included Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, and Senior Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism. In her statement, Prime Minister Amarasuriya expressed appreciation to the Government of Thailand and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for hosting the Summit and their hospitality.
The Prime Minister emphasized the significance of regional collaboration and reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment as the Lead Country in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). She also highlighted Sri Lanka’s anticipation for the operationalization of the BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility in Colombo.
Additionally, the Prime Minister underscored the importance of the newly finalized Plan of Action on Human Resource Development, aimed at equipping citizens with skills for future challenges. She called for its swift implementation, emphasizing human resource development as central to growth and regional prosperity.
The Prime Minister also identified untapped potential in trade, economic cooperation, and connectivity, urging openness and knowledge-sharing to resolve issues. Advancing physical, digital, and energy connectivity was noted as essential for accelerating BIMSTEC’s broader cooperation goals.
At the 20th Ministerial Meeting, Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra signed the BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Cooperation on behalf of Sri Lanka, moving toward enhanced maritime collaboration. Additional MoUs were signed with IORA and UNODC, reinforcing BIMSTEC’s international partnerships.
The Summit concluded with the adoption of several key documents, including the 6th BIMSTEC Declaration, the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030, the Rules of Procedure for BIMSTEC mechanisms, the Report of the Eminent Persons Group on BIMSTEC’s future direction, and a Leaders’ Joint Statement expressing solidarity with Myanmar and Thailand following the 28th March 2025 earthquake.