Sri Lanka endorses BIMSTEC Convention on Combating Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking

The 12th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting, for which Myanmar takes chairmanship, took place at Lake View Hall of Shwenandaw Hotel here this morning.

It was attended by foreign affairs ministers of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Republic of India, the Union of Myanmar, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Thailand, senior officers, Myanmar Ambassador to Thailand U Aung Thein, departmental heads, Ambassadors of BIMSTEC countries and guests.

First, Minister of External Affairs of India Mr S.M Krishna handed chairmanship over to Minister for Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win.

Myanmar’s Foreign Affairs Minister U Nyan Win extended greetings.

Next, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Dr Dipu Moni, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan, Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Mr S.M Krishna, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal Ms Sujata Koirala, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Mr Rohitha Bogollagama and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Mr Kasit Piromya also made speeches.

The ministers approved the joint-declaration before Minister U Nyan Win made the concluding speech. The foreign affairs ministers signed BIMSTEC Convention on cooperation in fight against terrorism, transnational crime and trafficking of illicit drugs in BIMSTEC member countries.

Given below the text of the speech by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama:

“At the outset, permit me Mr. Chairman to congratulate you on the excellent arrangements made for the holding of this important meeting and to express my confidence that under your stewardship, we will have most fruitful deliberations. My delegation and I also deeply appreciate the warm welcome and generous hospitality we have received from the Government of Myanmar.

I also take this opportunity to register our appreciation of the previous Chair, India for her commitment and leadership given to the BIMSTEC.

May I also take this opportunity to express how much we value the continuous contributions made by the Government of Thailand towards facilitating the functioning of our Group. In this connection, we also like to share the sentiments expressed by the previous speakers.

Our Meeting takes place at a time when the global economy remains in serious crisis with a strong impact on developing economies that are dependent on exports for their growth. The situation is not of our creation. Rather we are forced to shoulder the burdens caused by poor regulation and the encouraging of greed in certain dominant economies. In this situation we have no option but to turn the challenge into an opportunity by expanding intra-regional trade and the influence of our financial markets.

Sri Lanka therefore considers it important to intensify sub-regional, regional and inter-regional cooperation among developing countries. In this context, BIMSTEC provides a unique bridge between South and Southeast Asia which brings together 22% of the world population with a combined GDP of US$ 1.64 trillion. BIMSTEC therefore provides a sound mechanism to tap the huge potential for trade and investment promotion between its member countries, while having due to its abundance of natural resources the capacity to be a significant player in the global energy sector.

The vision for BIMSTEC when it was formed in 1997 was of creating rapid economic and social progress in the Bay of Bengal sub-region through the establishment of the necessary trade, transport and logistical infrastructure. It also aimed at providing a platform for south-south technological cooperation which would complement the national development plans of Member States.

Over the last 12 years, including at its Second Summit in November 2008, BIMSTEC has made important advances in terms of identifying 13 areas of cooperation. Now there needs to be more of a focus on follow up on decisions made. Such an endeavour will reinforce the belief of our people that BIMSTEC is moving in a very desirable direction. In my view, to achieve all of BIMSTEC’s goals, after being in existence for 12 years, deserves a permanent secretariat. In a spirit of cooperation and widest goodwill Sri Lanka extends to all our member States, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate Sri Lanka’s offer to host the BIMSTEC Secretariat.

From a historical perspective our island nation of Sri Lanka has always provided connectivity between South Asia and South-East Asia. We therefore share a common cultural heritage which links up to each and every other member of the BIMSTEC family. This dates back to several centuries and may be over a millennium.

Let me outline some more specific reasons as to why we consider that Sri Lanka is a sound location for the BIMSTEC Secretariat:

Sri Lanka would be one of the very few countries in the annals of history, which has succeeded in annihilating terrorism, in a comprehensive manner, thus liberating innocent civilians from the clutches of extremism that had prevailed for nearly 30 long years, which I believe the distinguished Members of the BIMSTEC could recognised.

Colombo, where the Secretariat would be located is an extremely congenial city, with its attractive location that has stunning views of the Indian Ocean, green spaces and modern infrastructure. Sri Lanka has achieved strong socio economic development as a result of consistent investment in the health and education sectors for a number of decades. Therefore, Colombo could offer International standard education and healthcare which attract any civil servant when looking for placement.

The BMICH, Sri Lanka’s premier international conference facility, set in an excellent ambience, would afford a perfect initial location for the BIMSTEC Secretariat. It is in this facility, that Sri Lanka has successfully hosted a number of major international meetings including the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in 1976, the SAARC Summit of 2008 and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue Ministerial Meeting in 2009.

Sri Lanka is ready take over the responsibility of running the BIMSTEC Centre beyond May 2010, which Thailand is currently hosting to facilitate activities of the Group. Further, in the event that Sri Lanka is chosen as the venue for the BIMSTEC Secretariat, we are more than pleased to host the 13th Ministerial Meeting.

While the core content of our work within BIMSTEC is focused on economic cooperation, each Member State in BIMSTEC has taken responsibilities commensurate with its own capacities for this purpose. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the initiatives taken by Sri Lanka in pursuit of the objectives of BIMSTEC.

As the lead country for BIMSTEC cooperation in technology, Sri Lanka organized a meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Committee on the Establishment of the BIMSTEC Centre for Technology Transfer in March 2009. The concept for the Centre is based on the recognition amongst BIMSTEC Member States that technology is an all important factor responsible for the development of information based societies and knowledge based economies. The Meeting finalized a concept paper that would facilitate the setting up of such a Centre. The concept paper has been circulated to all Member States and if found acceptable, may be recommended for adoption by the 12th Ministerial meeting.

Sri Lanka has also been continuing to serve after being unanimously asked to do so as the Chair of the Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) established in relation to the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement among BIMSTEC countries, which a study has shown a trade creation potential of US$ 43 to 59 billion per year.

We are thankful to all the Member States for their excellent support and commitment towards achieving the objectives of the TNC. I would like to take this opportunity to stress that a Free Trade Area should enhance market access among member countries, creating a win-win situation for the members.

Sri Lanka also looks forward to signing the BIMSTEC Convention on Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking. Sri Lanka places utmost importance to this Convention since it will enable each one of us to have more pro-active cooperation in sharing experiences in areas of mutual concern while enhancing cooperation between our law enforcement agencies. The signing of this Convention is a further reflection of our strong commitment towards curbing international terrorism and mitigating transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking in the region.

The Memorandum of Association for the establishment of the BIMSTEC Energy Centre which will be set-up in India will certainly assist the member countries in coordinating and harnessing energy resources within the region through experience sharing and capacity building. This is an area that is of vital importance and Sri Lanka looks forward to playing a pro-active role in operationalizing a framework for networking among national institutions in the region. It is also important to include the ‘renewable energy’ as a priority area of cooperation in the BIMSTEC.

The Memorandum of Association concerning the establishment of a BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate is a timely measure. The establishment of this Centre will provide further impetus for the establishment and maintenance of a reliable and timely communication network in the BIMSTEC region to promote awareness on early warning systems especially with regard to extreme weather and climate conditions which has in recent times plagued the region causing tremendous devastation and hardship to our peoples.

We are also pleased to note that the Government of Bhutan has undertaken to establish a BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory which will serve as a repository for information on cultural industries within the region. It is my belief that this will enhance our shared cultural heritage and the rich diversity of languages, arts, crafts and traditions which abound in the region.

In the view of policymakers and economists the world over, the 21st Century belongs to Asia and the main theatre of economic activity is moving from the traditional and conventional centres of growth in the Western world to the Eastern part of the world. It has been estimated that in the next 25 years, Asia will account for 57% of world GDP. The task ahead for BIMSTEC is therefore to harness the myriad opportunities available by effectively operationalizing the Conventions and Agreements it has entered into. Member countries can execute and speed the process by hastening the study on Transport Infrastructure & Logistics, by facilitating business contacts including through a visa scheme designed for that purpose and last but not least, progressing to a BIMSTEC Free Trade Area.

May I conclude Mr. Chairman by assuring that Sri Lanka stands ready to work with all of you to ensure the success both of the tasks that I have mentioned as well as of all others that our organization may identify for implementation in the years ahead.

- Asian Tribune -