November 14: The 2nd BIMSTEC Summit in New Delhi reviewed the progress on the proposed Free Trade Agreement between BIMSTEC member states yesterday.

It also discussed trade, counter-terrorism, trans-national crimes, connectivity, tourism, fisheries and public health.

The Prime Minister, Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley led the Bhutanese delegation at the 2nd BIMSTEC summit which is being held in the Indian capital New Delhi. The Foreign Minister Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering also attended the summit. It was inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmonhan Singh.

The meeting noted that considerable progress has been made towards BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement and said such an agreement would be a shining example of cooperation among the members.

It is being attended by the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Thailand, Myanmar and the Sri Lankan President.

The Summit also discussed trade, counter-terrorism, trans-national crimes, connectivity, tourism, fisheries and public health.

Prior to the summit Foreign Ministers of member countries held a brainstorming session to intensify economic ties and encourage the movement of people and resources.

On Tuesday, Foreign Secretaries of the member countries considered the possibility of setting up a permanent secretariat. They also discussed intra-regional cooperation in energy, agriculture and transportation besides trade, technology, tourism and counter-terrorism.

The summit also saw the finalization of four agreements, including a convention on counter-terrorism and transnational crimes and creating an energy centre. It also took up the issue of seamless transport connectivity.

BIMSTEC- Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation - was established in 1997. It is meant to provide a multi-dimensional cooperation and to foster regional technical and economic cooperation among the members.