Thai PM postpones 5th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok

Kathmandu, August 23 - Thailand Prime Minister Paetongthan decided this afternoon to postpone the upcoming BIMSTEC summit, originally scheduled for early next week, according to a report by Thai PBS World.

The source, who requested anonymity, stated that this morning, caretaker Foreign Minister Maris Sagiamsongsa met with the Prime Minister, leading to the decision to postpone the 5th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, which was set for September 3-4.

Thailand, which currently chairs BIMSTEC, confirmed the meeting as of yesterday. However, due to technical issues in forming the new Cabinet, the summit has to be postponed, according to the source.

BIMSTEC is a regional organization that connects South Asia and Southeast Asia. Established in 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration, it comprises seven members: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal.

All BIMSTEC leaders had confirmed their participation in the two-day summit, which would have been preceded by meetings of foreign ministers and senior officials.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also planned an official visit to Thailand ahead of the summit on September 3. The main objective of BIMSTEC is to create an enabling environment for rapid economic development.

Furthermore, the bloc aims to foster a spirit of equality and partnership, particularly in trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism, and fisheries.