India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval on Thursday emphasised the requirement for closer regional cooperation to tackle evolving security challenges, saying the current global landscape marked by conflicts, geopolitical uncertainties and technological disruptions requires BIMSTEC member states to work together and take "decisive actions" for their mutual benefit. The remark came while the NSA addressed the fifth BIMSTEC National Security Advisers' Meeting in the national capital.
"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's an urgent need for us to collaborate, take decisive actions for our mutual benefit, and find solutions through mutual discussions and deliberations to the vexed problems that we are all facing," he added.
BIMSTEC is a key regional organisation that was established on June 6, 1997, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. Initially known as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), the organisation is now known as BIMSTEC and comprises seven Member States, with the admission of Myanmar on December 22, 1997, and Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004.
Highlighting the significance of the Bay of Bengal grouping, Doval said BIMSTEC unites two of the world's most dynamic regions and represents a population of 1.7 billion people, around 22 per cent of the global population, with a combined GDP of nearly USD 5 trillion.
"We are united by the Bay of Bengal, not just geographically, but also through deep civilizational and cultural legacies that have evolved over a millennium of shared history. Building on these unique bonds, BIMSTEC has been anchored in robust cooperation across a range of sectors on the foundations 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, combating transnational organised crime, cyber threats, meeting maritime challenges, and we are poised to combat new and emerging threats together," Doval said while further stressing that BIMSTEC's long-standing goals of regional security, connectivity, capacity building and economic security should continue to guide the grouping's collective efforts.
He said, "BIMSTEC's long-standing goals of regional security, connectivity, capacity building, and economic security should continue to drive our collective efforts. For India, BIMSTEC represents our vision of Neighbourhood First, our commitment to Act East Policy and the MAHASAGAR vision, which stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions."
"As BIMSTEC celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, let us commit to further expanding our collaborative potential and infusing new energy and resources towards ensuring regional security. We aim to build institutional capacity and cooperation across our priority sectors," he said.
Expressing confidence in the grouping's future, Doval said the member states' shared vision, common aspirations and mutual trust would continue to deliver tangible outcomes for the region. He said, "I am certain that our vision and common aspirations, coupled with mutual trust, will continue to result in tangible outcomes."
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