Modi pitches for regional security at BIMSTEC meet

The BIMSTEC on Wednesday adopted a much-awaited charter and a connectivity roadmap to expand its cooperative agenda with Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitching for giving adequate priority to regional security to ensure prosperity in the backdrop of the developments in Ukraine.

At a virtual summit, the leaders of the seven-nation BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) also entrusted India to helm the grouping’s security pillar while approving its major reorganisation.

In his address, Modi said that today is the time to “make Bay of Bengal a bridge of connectivity, a bridge of prosperity and a bridge of security” and noted that it is impossible to ensure prosperity or development of the region without security.

“Developments in Europe in the last few weeks have raised a question mark on the stability of the international order. In this context, it has become important to make BIMSTEC regional cooperation more active,” Modi said. “It has also become imperative to give more priority to our regional security,” he said without mentioning Ukraine.

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