BIMSTEC:THE BRIDGE BETWEEN SOUTH AND SOUTH EAST ASIA It is comparatively new organization which connect south and south east Asia countries. Originally formed as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation ) in 1997 , it became BIMST-EC after Myanmar joined, and BIMSTEC in 2004 with the inclusion of Nepal and Bhutan . What is BIMSTEC? the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation ( BIMSTEC ) why it is important for India and other members countries? India had long felt that the potential of SAARC was being under-utilized, and opportunities were being missed due to lack of response and/or an obstructionist approach from Pakistan. At the SAARC summit in Kathmandu in 2014, Modi said these opportunities must be realized “through SAARC or outside it” and “among us all or some of us”. Bangladesh views BIMSTEC as a platform to position itself as more than just a small state on the Bay of Bengal, and Sri Lanka sees
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