Nepal to hold BIMSTEC meet on September 30,31

WION Web Team

New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Aug 29, 2018, 09:40 PM IST

Despite being a small nation, Nepal was never colonised by any country. It has always been a sovereign nation and served as a buffer state between Imperial China and British India in the past. So, Nepal does not have an Independence Day. Photograph:(ANI)

Nepal is all set to host the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation summit or the BIMSTEC.

Prime Minister Modi along with heads of state of 6 other countries will take part in the summit.

The seven members of the BIMSTEC are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.

The two-day summit to be held in Nepal's Kathmandu will focus mainly on Counter-terror and connectivity.

While on connectivity India has Kaladan Multi-modal project, the Tri-lateral highway that will directly connect India's Northeastern states with BIMSTEC countries, on terror all BIMSTEC countries have been speaking in one voice.

In, fact BIMSTEC countries NSAs met in Delhi last year and with SAARC loosing its importance for New Delhi, BIMSTEC is getting all the focus.

The last BIMSTEC Summit was held in 2014 in Myanmar. However, in between, we had a mini Summit at Goa on the sidelines of BRICS Summit in October 2016.

For India, BIMSTEC is a natural choice to fulfil our foreign policy priorities which is our Neighborhood First and Act East policy. Regional cooperation under BIMSTEC also extends to developments of the North Eastern states of India forming a bridge between South and South East Asia.

Sources have said that PM Modi will meet Bangla PM. This will also be the 4th visit by Indian PM to Nepal, and second visit this year alone. Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate a 400-bed 'Dharamshala' built with Indian assistance at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu during his visit.