UPSC EDITORIAL ANALYSIS – A new push in the Bay of Bengal
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: The Hindu
• Prelims: Current events of international importance(BIMSTEC, Bay of Bengal(mapping),Regional forums etc
• Mains GS Paper II: bilateral, regional and global grouping involving India or affecting India’s interests etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
• India hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in New Delhi.
• Focus: Providing an “informal platform to discuss ways and means of cooperating and accelerating action in security, connectivity, trade, and investment within the Bay of Bengal.”
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation(BIMSTEC):
• BIMSTEC is a regional multilateral organization.
• Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.
• Out of the 7 members:
• Five are from South Asia: Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal Sri Lanka
• Two are from Southeast Asia: Myanmar Thailand
• BIMSTEC connects South and Southeast Asia and the ecologies of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.
• Aim: create an enabling environment for rapid economic development accelerate social progress; and promote collaboration on matters of common interest in the region.
• accelerate social progress; and promote collaboration on matters of common interest in the region.
Areas of Cooperation:
• Trade and Investment
• Technology
• Transportation and Communication
• Agriculture
• Cultural Cooperation
• Environment and Disaster Management
• Public Health
• People-to-People Contact
• Poverty Alleviation
• Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime
• Climate Change
2nd Foreign Ministers’ Retreat(New Delhi):
• In preparation for the sixth summit meeting, scheduled for September. BIMSTEC leaders will meet in person for the first time in the post-pandemic era.
• BIMSTEC leaders will meet in person for the first time in the post-pandemic era.
• Preparations for Expected BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation to improve regional connectivity — a foundational aim of this grouping.
#### Key Highlights of the retreat:
• Participants assessed the current state of regional cooperation within BIMSTEC building on a presentation by India on the implementation of key outcomes of the 1st Retreat.
• building on a presentation by India on the implementation of key outcomes of the 1st Retreat.
• Establishment of Centres of Excellence in member states, focusing on Agriculture, Disaster Management, and Maritime Transport.
• India announced support for cancer research, treatment, and issuance of e-visas for patients of all BIMSTEC states Sri Lanka proposed the inclusion of kidney disease.
• Sri Lanka proposed the inclusion of kidney disease.
• The need for involving the private sector in trade and promoting young entrepreneurs was highlighted
• The importance of connectivity, cyber-security, and countering the trafficking of narcotics and illegal arms.
• Sri Lanka underscored the need to map mineral resources found in abundance in the BIMSTEC countries create opportunities for the vertical integration of stages of production within specific sectors in the economies of the countries enabling them to diversify their production structure.
• create opportunities for the vertical integration of stages of production within specific sectors in the economies of the countries
• enabling them to diversify their production structure.
• Bangladesh highlighted the need for cooperation in the Blue Economy and urged member states to ban fishing during the breeding season to address the problem of depleting catch in the Bay.
• Bhutan expounded on the need for collaboration in tourism and cultural exchanges
• Nepal highlighted its ‘whole of the region’ approach to leverage synergies among member states and transform BIMSTEC into a results-oriented regional forum.
• Thailand: need for cooperation in non-traditional security domains
• Myanmar: need to combat online scamming.
Importance of BIMSTEC:
• It allows India to engage multilaterally with the other countries of the Bay of Bengal region which are its eastern neighbours and therefore vital for its economic development, security, and foreign policy imperatives.
• which are its eastern neighbours and therefore vital for its economic development, security, and foreign policy imperatives.
• India remains intent on solidifying relations with its eastern neighbours as China’s growing presence in the Bay of Bengal poses a potential threat to regional stability India is a preferred security partner in these waters.
• India is a preferred security partner in these waters.
• Strengthening ties with Bangladesh and Myanmar accords India the advantage of providing its landlocked north-eastern region with access to the sea.
• Improved ties with Myanmar and Thailand will also lend India the opportunity to have a more profound presence in the Indo-Pacific It holds the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), in which these two countries are members, to be of central importance in its vision of the Indo-Pacific. Thailand reinforced this idea at the retreat by identifying itself as a bridge between BIMSTEC and ASEAN.
• It holds the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), in which these two countries are members, to be of central importance in its vision of the Indo-Pacific.
• Thailand reinforced this idea at the retreat by identifying itself as a bridge between BIMSTEC and ASEAN.
• Minister for External Affairs, S. Jaishankar: BIMSTEC represents the intersection of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ outlook, the ‘Act East Policy’, and the SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region)
Important Connectivity Projects:
• Kaladan Multimodal Project – links India and Myanmar.
• Asian Trilateral Highway – connecting India and Thailand through Myanmar.
• Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement – for seamless flow of passenger and cargo traffic.
Way Forward
• Retreat is a multilateral milestone for India along with bilateral merits too. External affairs minister shared with Myanmar India’s concerns over the flow of displaced persons, narcotics, and arms across the border Urged for the return of unlawfully detained Indians. Meeting with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister, who requested him to ensure the smooth supply of daily essentials and send a technical team for the Teesta project,
• External affairs minister shared with Myanmar India’s concerns over the flow of displaced persons, narcotics, and arms across the border
• Urged for the return of unlawfully detained Indians.
• Meeting with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister, who requested him to ensure the smooth supply of daily essentials and send a technical team for the Teesta project,
• This year marks a decade of India’s Act East and Neighbourhood First policies, and the thrust on BIMSTEC is a manifestation of India’s efforts to continue nurturing collaborative growth for national and regional well-being.
• External affairs minister encouraged future collaborations through new energies, resources, and a renewed commitment to cooperation.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
Do you think that BIMSTEC is a parallel organization like the SAARC ? What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the two ? How are Indian foreign policy objectives realized by forming this new organization?(UPSC 2022)(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)