DHAKA, July 21, (v7n) – BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey today said comparisons between BIMSTEC and SAARC are "misleading and misplaced," arguing that such comparisons ultimately hurt the interests of the Bay of Bengal regional grouping.

"The comparison between BIMSTEC and SAARC is misleading and misplaced and hurts the interests of BIMSTEC," he said while interacting with members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the BIMSTEC Secretariat in the capital.

Pandey said regional cooperation is a prerequisite for ensuring development and security across the Bay of Bengal region, noting that BIMSTEC has emerged as a dynamic and effective platform for advancing the shared aspirations of its member states. He said BIMSTEC serves the core security and development interests of Bangladesh and other member states, and should be assessed on the basis of its own mandate, achievements, and potential rather than through the prism of other regional organisations.

"BIMSTEC is a real and present opportunity, not a remote and hypothetical possibility," Pandey said, underscoring the need for member states to make optimum use of the platform to deepen regional cooperation.

His remarks come as BIMSTEC seeks to accelerate implementation of leaders' decisions and strengthen cooperation in priority areas ranging from trade and connectivity to security, environment, and people-to-people contacts. Bangladesh currently holds the chairmanship, having assumed responsibility from Thailand at the Sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok in April 2025.

The summit marked an important milestone, with leaders adopting the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030—a roadmap towards a "Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC" by 2030. The BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation was also signed, aiming to strengthen maritime connectivity and promote greater economic integration.

As current chair, Bangladesh has placed emphasis on making BIMSTEC more effective, result-oriented, and people-centric. BIMSTEC brings together seven South and Southeast Asian nations—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand—representing around 1.8 billion people. Established in 1997, the grouping promotes economic growth, social progress, and cooperation, serving as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia. Cooperation is reorganised into seven broad sectors, with Bangladesh leading in trade, investment, and development.

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