Kathmandu : Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said cooperation and collaboration within a solid framework are critical to addressing common problems the BIMSTEC confronts. In his closing statement at the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit in the capital city Friday, Prime Minister Oli said there are compelling reasons for regional cooperation, as today’s complex problems cannot be resolved with individual country’s efforts alone.
“In the world that is witnessing multiple contradictions and uncertainties, our resolve to strengthen regionalism as a building block to multilateralism bears a particular significance towards a stable, predictable and rule-based world order,” PM Oli argued, adding that during the Summit, the member states made a comprehensive review of the progress made and agreed to a future course of action to accelerate the process of regional cooperation.
According to him, geography, history, economic and ecological interdependence, and people-to-people contacts serve as key enablers in the region to propel meaningful cooperation for the shared prosperity.
“This is my firm conviction that this Summit has been a significant step towards making BIMSTEC a dynamic, effective and result-oriented regional organization. It has reinvigorated BIMSTEC process to realize the vast potentials that are available in the region. Building on the Goa Agenda of Action adopted during the BIMSTEC Leaders’ Retreat hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2016, we have taken a number of important decisions that will go a long way in bringing visible change in the lives of our peoples,” he mentioned.
Prime Minister Oli reminded that enhancing connectivity, fostering trade and investment, promoting cooperation on energy and tourism are among the key decisions taken to achieve this goal. The commitment to eradicating poverty needs to be translated into action. As the PM stated, the decision to entrust BIMSTEC permanent working committee to draft a charter for the organization would provide a sound legal foundation to our organization.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection will facilitate greater cooperation in energy sector, he underscored. PM Oli, however, cautioned that translating the promises into action would be a key challenge ahead. So, he reiterated that all national stakeholders-government, private sector and civil society- must play their respective roles in realizing the goals and aspirations of the regional process. “I deeply appreciate all the Member states for their continuous cooperation and support to Nepal during its term as the Chair of BIMSTEC from March 2014 until today,” the Prime Minister noted.RSS
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