At Bimstec meet, Jaishankar underlines new challenges due to Ukraine

Members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) must deepen cooperation to contend with economic and security challenges arising from the conflict in Ukraine, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

Addressing a meeting of foreign ministers of Bimstec in Colombo, Jaishankar said the seven members of the grouping must create the legal architecture to counter challenges such as terrorism, trans-national crime and cyber-attacks that can affect economic development. Bimstec is short for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.

Jaishankar also held bilateral talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart GL Peiris late on Monday night and the two sides signed six agreements in areas ranging from energy to fisheries. One of the agreements was for implementing the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) programme based on India’s Aadhaar card, and another was for setting up hybrid power projects in three islands off Jaffna, effectively replacing energy projects by a Chinese firm.

The meeting of the foreign ministers, part of preparations for the virtual Bimstec Summit on Wednesday, focused on cooperation in areas such as connectivity, energy and maritime security. The summit will adopt the Bimstec charter and a 10-year master plan for transport connectivity.

Jaishankar, in his speech at the ministerial meeting, highlighted the need for “more effective and fast paced” cooperation among members of Bimstec, which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

“The international system is going through a very challenging phase, perhaps one of the most difficult in recent memory. The challenges of Covid-19 pandemic have not yet fully abated. But recent developments in Ukraine have added to international disquiet,” he said.

The maintenance of global peace and security “can no longer be taken for granted” and the region faces headwinds from the global economy. “Under these circumstances, as we shore up our domestic capacities, we also need to broaden and deepen cooperation under Bimstec,” he said.

In addition to accelerating efforts to boost intra-Bimstec trade, the development of a network of supply and value chains will reduce the region’s vulnerability to external shocks and give greater resilience to economies, Jaishankar said. The master plan for transport connectivity is a framework to “better align our national transportation and connectivity networks” and must be backed by business collaboration, he added.

Development efforts require a peaceful and stable environment, and BIMSTEC members cannot ignore challenges such as terrorism, violent extremism, trans-national crime, narco-trafficking and cyber-attacks, Jaishankar said. “We need to put in place the remaining elements of the legal architecture that will enable our law enforcement agencies to collaborate more closely and more effectively,” he added.

As part of his bilateral engagements in Colombo, Jaishankar met Sri Lankan foreign minister GL Peiris late on Monday and reviewed ties between the two countries.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for implementing the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) programme with an Indian grant, setting up a Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, implementing hybrid power projects in three islands off Jaffna, cooperation in developing fisheries harbours in Sri Lanka, establishing modern computer labs in 200 schools in Galle district, and cooperation between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute.

The SL-UDI programme will be based on India’s Aadhaar identity card scheme. The power projects on Neduntheevu, Nainativu and Analaitivu islands will replace projects that were to have been built by a Chinese firm. India had objected when the Sri Lankan government award the contract to the Chinese firm in January last year as the projects were to be built in an area 50 km away from the Tamil Nadu coastline.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, to be built with a grant, is part of the ongoing cooperation between the defence forces of the two countries.

Jaishankar also met Sri Lanka’s fisheries minister Douglas Devananda on Monday and discussed issues related to fishermen and devolution of powers for the country’s Tamil minority.

On Tuesday, Jaishankar met Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem and discussed political and economic developments. He also met former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and informed him about India’s economic support for Sri Lanka.

India has provided assistance worth more than $2.4 billion, including concessional loans for purchasing food, medicines and oil and a currency swap, to help Sri Lanka cope with its worst economic crisis in decades.

On the margins of the Bimstec meeting, Jaishankar held separate meetings with Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, Bhutan foreign minister Tandi Dorji and Nepal’s foreign minister Narayan Khadka. Jaishankar invited Momen to visit India for a meeting of the bilateral joint consultative commission.

Jaishankar and Dorji discussed cooperation in the hydropower sector and reviewed various projects and initiatives. During his meeting with Khadka, Jaishankar discussed cooperation in connectivity, energy, fertilisers, health and power. Nepal’s foreign ministry said the two ministers also discussed preparations for Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba upcoming visit to India.