Dhaka urges BIMSTEC members to finalise trade agreements

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin urged Wednesday all the member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to extend their full cooperation to ensure timely finalisation of six fundamental agreements on trade.

“Realisation of the FTA is paramount for our region’s collective economic advancement,” he said in the 25th BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Bangkok, said a foreign ministry press release.

Jashim Uddin is leading a five-member Bangladesh delegation in the SOM.

The six pending agreements are - Goods of the Framework Agreement on the BIMSTEC Free Trade Area, Rules of Origin, Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters, Dispute Settlement Procedures and Mechanism, Trade Facilitation, Investment and Trade in Services.

In the meeting Jashim Uddin delivered a statement on ‘Trade, Investment and Development including Blue Economy’, for which Bangladesh is the lead country.

The 25th Session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting started preceding the 6th BIMSTEC Summit on 4 April 2025.

The meeting considered outcomes relating to BIMSTEC Centres, including BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate, and BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence on Tropical Medicine.

Senior Officials discussed and finalised the draft Provisional Agenda and draft Report of the 20th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting to be held Thursday.

The meeting also finalised the draft Provisional Agenda and draft Declaration of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit.

Bangladesh will host the 26th Session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting in Dhaka.

Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to attend the 6th BIMSTEC Summit of Heads of State/Governments in Bangkok on Friday.