Ajit Doval Underscores Need For Cooperation And Decisive Action Among BIMSTEC Nations

New Delhi: India on Thursday called for stronger cooperation among BIMSTEC nations on issues related to security and economy in the wake of current geo-political situation.

Speaking at the fifth meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs, National Security Advisor (NSA) Mr Ajit Doval underscored the urgent need for closer cooperation and decisive actions among BIMSTEC nations to address economic challenges, including disruptions in global supply chains. He added that BIMSTEC has built strong cooperation across multiple security sectors and has made significant progress in countering common threats.

"We are meeting today in the backdrop of a challenging global landscape. We are witnessing conflicts and geopolitical uncertainties. We are also facing multi-domain security threats, amplified by rapid technological advancements. Disruptions in global supply chains have also resulted in economic hardship for all our countries. In this setting, there is an urgent need for us to collaborate, take decisive actions for our mutual benefit, and find solutions to mutual discussions and deliberations to the vexed problems that we are all facing," said Mr Doval.

“We have advanced and strengthened cooperation in fighting terrorism, combating transnational organised crime, cyber threats, meeting maritime challenges, and we are poised to combat new and emerging threats together," Mr Doval added.

The NSAs and heads of delegations from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand attended the meeting. During the meeting, the BIMSTEC Secretary General presented a comprehensive overview of the status of cooperation in the security sector and briefed the member states on the progress made across a wide range of sectors.

Officials said the NSAs and delegation heads discussed practical and result-oriented solutions to combat terrorism and organised crime, ensure security in the cyber, maritime and energy domains; enhance connectivity; facilitate efficient disaster management; and to tackle new and emerging threats.

They adopted guidelines for the maritime component of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. These guidelines will help BIMSTEC member states to undertake relief operations in the region in an expeditious manner. They also endorsed a set of guiding principles on the conduct of maritime law enforcement agencies during interactions at sea. These principles are expected to outline reference points for increasing predictability and promoting safety during maritime engagements among member states.

“As BIMSTEC approaches its thirtieth anniversary next year, the National Security Advisers/ Heads of Delegations reiterated their resolve to further enhancing collaboration and knowledge-sharing towards strengthening regional security, building resilience, and enhancing institutional capacities to address diverse security threats,” Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

BIMSTEC bridges South Asia and Southeast Asia, two of the most significant and vibrant regions of the Indian Ocean. Over the years, BIMSTEC has deepened cooperation in regional security, disaster management, transport and trade connectivity, technological issues, and people-to-people contacts.