- Negotiations
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or BIMSTEC, groups together Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The seven-country forum aims to achieve its own free trade area by 2017.
last update: May 2012
Photo: Palácio do Planalto/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
25-Aug-2018
Money Control
The Bimstec member nations include Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. The summit is scheduled to be held in Kathmandu on August 30-31, 2018.
30-Apr-2018
India Today
The seven-nation bloc BIMSTEC today called for specific steps and greater political commitment to conclude negotiations expeditiously for a free trade agreement.
11-Aug-2017
Kathmandu Post
The 18th session of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Senior Officials’ meeting has underlined the need of early finalisation of BIMSTEC free trade area agreement.
8-Aug-2017
Himalayan Times
The 15th BIMSTEC ministerial meeting is going be held in Kathmandu on 11 August.
7-Aug-2017
Financial Express
Difference between India and Thailand over market access is one of the main reasons why the FTA under BIMSTEC remained stalled during last couple of years.
22-Jul-2016
Financial Express
India should work closely with BIMSTEC, a seven-nation grouping, to conclude trade negotiations and attempt early operationalising of the Bay of Bengal free trade agreement to give a big push to trade in the region, industry body Assocham said.
22-Feb-2016
Live Mint
Softening its earlier stand, India has decided to conclude a low-ambition free trade agreement with the seven-nation grouping Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or Bimstec.
20-Sep-2015
Members of the Trade Negotiating Committee of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional bloc of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, are going to meet in Bangkok between 7-9, September 2015, for working on a functional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among member countries.
13-Jan-2015
BD News 24
Bangladesh hopes that the much-expected BIMSTEC FTA (between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand) will be finalised this year.
7-Mar-2014
DNA
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’s lack of concrete achievement points to the need for greater political will and clarity of purpose
