At BIMSTEC, Jaishankar calls for integration

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Thursday underlined the importance of connectivity between members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which marks its silver jubilee next year.

“Robust connectivity is an essential pre-requisite for economic integration of the region with smooth cross-border movement of people and goods” said Jaishankar at the 17th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meetings.

He added that the members have finalised the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, which, he said, “is expected to be adopted” at the fifth BIMSTEC Summit, which will be held in Sri Lanka. “It would be an important step towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people of our region for better connectivity and integration,” he said.