On 15 March 2023, His Excellency Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, visited New Delhi to deliver a Keynote Address titled BIMSTEC: The Way Ahead, at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The visit came after the Vice Minister attended and deliver Thailand’s statement at the ingugural session of the BIMSTEC Business Conclave 2023 in Kolkata.

During the Keynote Address, the Vice Minister emphasized the potential of the BIMSTEC region, which comprised of the combined population of 1.8 billion people, or almost 23 percent of the world’s population, and a combined GDP of approximately 3.6 trillion U.S. dollars, the potential of which is greatly intensified with the signing, in the last year of the BIMSTEC Charter, propelling BIMSTEC into becoming a full-fledged functioning organization, ready to tackle challenges facing the region. However, given the current challenges faced by multilateralism around the world posed by ever-changing global situation, Thailand proposed 3 solutions as the way ahead for BIMSTEC to remain effective and relevant. First is for all member-states to come together to enhance regional interconnectedness. As lead country in the field of connectivity, Thailand is ready to cooperate with all member-states, especially in the implementation of projects under the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, and the Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation. Second is through encouraging the greater engagement of all stakeholders, as no organisation can be run by merely a limited number of people at the top. Thailand therefore proposes inclusive participation from all stakeholders in the institutional processes of BIMSTEC, and the establishment of BIMSTEC Business Advisory Council as an independent body, comprising representatives from the private sectors of all the Member States, to discuss business-related issues and provide policy recommendation to our leaders. Third is the promotion of BIMSTEC’s internal strength, through the Rules of Procedure for BIMSTEC Mechanisms, which sets up a structural standard for BIMSTEC’s cooperation and interaction with external partners, and the implementation of the Bangkok Vision 2023, which seeks to propel BIMSTEC towards a region that is Prosperous, Resilient, and Open, or “PRO BIMSTEC”, moving us in a forward-looking trajectory for sustainable and balanced growth.

On stage, the Vice Minister was also joined by other high level officials, who also proposed their views on the topic. This included Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, Chairman of the India Foundation, Ambassador Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs of India, Ambassador Preeti Saran, Former Secretary (East) and Member of the India Foundation’s Governing Council, and H.E. Md. Mustafizur Rahman, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India.

The Keynote Address on BIMSTEC: The Way Ahead is the initiative of the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi, organized in partnership India Foundation, one of the most prominent think-tanks of India based in New Delhi. The Keynote Address aimed to boost awareness of BIMSTEC and especially the tremendous contribution by each member states towards cooperation in the region, and also to increase understanding of BIMSTEC during leadership of Thailand in 2022 – 23 especially among policy makers, high level officials of the Government of India, the private and academic sector, and Diplomatic Community stationed in New Delhi, which will culminate in Thailand hosting the BIMSTEC Summit in November this year.