The 6th  Summit of the Heads of State/Government of the member States of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was held 04 April 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand. It was preceded by 25th  BIMSTEC Senior Officials’  Meeting on April 02 and 20th   BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on April 03. The 6th Summit was attended by:

1. H.E. Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of People’s Republic of Bangladesh;
2. H.E. Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Kingdom of Bhutan;
3. H.E. Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of Republic of India;
4. H.E. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of  State Administration Council and Prime Minister of Republic of the Union of Myanmar;
5. H.E. KP Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal;
6. H.E. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka; and
7. H.E. Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.

The 6th Summit, themed “Prosperous, Resilient, and Open BIMSTEC”, focused on fostering collaboration among the member States to address their shared security and developmental challenges. It provided a new impetus to regional organization to realise the goal of a “Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC”.

Following are the Key Outcomes of 6th  BIMSTEC Summit:
 

• Adoption of Declaration of 6th  BIMSTEC Summit, which reflects the vision of the Leaders as well as their decisions and directives for future cooperation;
• Adoption of  BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030, the first ever Vision Document of BIMSTEC, which provides a comprehensive and practical roadmap for future cooperation amongst the member States to achieve the vison of Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC;
• Signing of Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation. It’s a significant step towards strengthening regional partnerships to enhance maritime connectivity, enabling more trade and travel amongst the member States;
• Signing of  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BIMSTEC and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which institutionalises future partnership between IORA and BIMSTEC in key areas of shared interest.
• Signing of  Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between BIMSTEC and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which formalizes partnership between UNODC and BIMSTEC in areas of shared priorities.
• Adoption of Rules of Procedure for the BIMSTEC Mechanisms. The Rules of Procedure, together with the BIMSTEC Charter, lay a strong foundation of institutional framework for regional cooperation under BIMSTEC, ensuring greater efficiency and consistency; 
• Adoption of the Report of Eminent Persons Group on the Future Direction of BIMSTEC, which contains a number of recommendations to reform and revitalize BIMSTEC; and
• Endorsement of BIMSTEC Leaders’ Joint Statement on the Impact of Earthquake which struck Myanmar and Thailand on 28th  March. It expresses Leaders’ condolences, solidarity, and commitment to supporting the affected countries. It also reaffirms their commitment to collaborate in regional disaster management and to strengthen response mechanisms for natural disasters.
   

BIMSTEC Leaders, in their Statements, at the Summit. reiterated their commitment to BIMSTEC, identified the areas of priority for regional cooperation, and presented specific proposals and initiatives. They underlined the need to make progress in enhancing intra-regional trade & investment, connectivity, tourism, culture exchanges, climate action, green and renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, food security, disaster management and security.

BIMSTEC Secretary General, H.E. Indra Mani Pandey, in his Report to the Leaders, outlined progress made since 5th  BIMSTEC Summit, which was held in Colombo in March 2022. He sought their guidance to further advance the BIMSTEC agenda for the greater benefit of the region and reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to working closely with the member States to strengthen regional cooperation under BIMSTEC.

At the conclusion of the Summit, Bangladesh, a founding member of BIMSTEC, assumed the Chairmanship of BIMSTEC. H.E. Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser, Interim Government of Bangladesh, reiterated Bangladesh’s commitment to working collaboratively with other member States to take BIMSTEC cooperation forward.

As BIMSTEC’s highest policymaking body, the Summit plays a pivotal role in setting organization’ strategic direction and priorities. Against the backdrop of an increasingly complex and uncertain global political and economic landscape, the 6th  BIMSTEC Summit reaffirmed BIMSTEC’s critical role in forging regional cooperation to enable the member States to deal with their shared security and sustainable development challenges. With institutional reforms already underway, BIMSTEC is poised to evolve into a vibrant and dynamic regional organization, advancing peace, prosperity and resilience in the Bay of Bengal region.

• Declaration of the Sixth BIMSTEC Summit
• BIMSTEC Leaders’ Joint Statement on the Impact of the Earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand on 28 March 2025
• Photo Gallery from the 6th BIMSTEC Summit