Prime Minister Modi, while addressing the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation - BIMSTEC Summit - urged for regional cooperation between the member nations.


He encouraged member nations to "make the Bay of Bengal, the bridge of connectivity, prosperity and security."


PM Modi said that Solidarity between countries is the "need of the hour". The Prime Minister said the leaders should dedicate themselves to work with new enthusiasm and energy. He said that India is ready to contribute 3 Million USD for disaster management. He also suggested member nations to create a legal framework for better road connectivity and also to deal with terrorism and crime.


WATCH the Full Speech Here:



Here are some quotes from PM Modi's speech at BIMSTEC 2022:


- "This is the 25th anniversary of BIMSTEC. I consider today's summit to be important. The result of this summit will be a golden chapter in BIMSTEC's history"


- "President Rajapaksha (of Sri Lanka) has granted great leadership. Our region has not been unaffected by global challenges. Our economies are still suffering."


- "It has become essential to give priority to regional security. We are implementing the BIMSTEC charter."


- "We create an eminent person group who can create a vision document. It is important to strengthen the secretariat. India will provide the secretariat with the financial assistance of 1 million USD."


- "We cannot overemphasize on better connectivity. We have to adopt a BIMSTEC master plan for transport connectivity. We must ensure quick imPlementation of THE master plan. We must move faster on connectivity."


- "It is essential we develop very soon a coastal fishing ecosystem in the Bay of Bengal"


- "We are working on extending and expanding the scope of the BIMSTEC scholarship by Nalanda for a joint research on marine sciences."


- "During our 4th Summit in Kathmandu, we developed a legal framework for dealing with terrorism for increased cooperation between law enforcement agencies. During today's Summit we are signing a treaty on mutual assistance on criminal assistance."


- "Today, an agreement is being signed for cooperation between diplomatic training institutes."