Diplomatic Correspondent

Bangladesh is set to assume the chairmanship of the regional grouping - Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) - for the next two years.The BIMSTEC comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.The chairmanship of BIMSTEC, which has emerged as a “significant forum” for promoting regional development, connectivity and economic progress in the Bay of Bengal region, rotates according to the alphabetical order of the English names of the Member States, officials said.The changeover of chairmanship takes place during the Summit whereby the member state chairing BIMSTEC hosts the Summit and hands over the chairmanship to the member state next in alphabetical order.The theme of the 6th summit, being held three years after the 5th summit (Virtual, Colombo, 30 March 2022), is “Prosperous, Resilient, and Open BIMSTEC”.At the beginning of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, leaders took a group photo which was followed by a welcome address by the BIMSTEC chair, Prime Minister of Thailand.A one-minute silence was observed for the recent earthquake victims in Myanmar and Thailand.After the adoption of the agenda, leaders of the BIMSTEC, including Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, made their statements.After handing over BIMSTEC chairmanship, the new chairman of BIMSTEC will make his remarks while the Thai prime minister will make closing remarks, an official told thedailycountrytoday.Earlier, Dr Yunus on Friday joined a breakfast meeting with Thai dignitaries on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit.