Government invites BIMSTEC leaders for swearing-in ceremony on May 30

Leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) have been invited for PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony to be held on Thursday. However, Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina will not attend the event due to her prior commitments. Myanmar State Councillor Aung Saan Suu Kyi’s presence is also uncertain as she is travelling overseas. Kyrgyzstan, the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), too, has been invited for the event.

Apart from India, Bimstec comprises Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar. Indian-origin Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth, who visited India for Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in January, has also been invited for the May 30 event.

Hasina begins a visit to Japan on Tuesday. Her other engagements for this week and next include the Organisation of Islamic Countries summit in Saudi Arabia and a visit to Finland. She has deputed her senior-most Cabinet member, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq, for Thursday’s ceremony, a senior official in Dhaka told ET.


However, Hasina, plans a day-long stopover in Delhi on June 8 to meet Modi. She will spend the day in Delhi, on her way back from Helsinki to Dhaka. During her congratulatory phone call to Modi last Thursday, the two had decided to meet soon to expand ties on security, trade, transportation and energy. Hasina was in Japan during Modi’s 2014 swearingin ceremony too and her country was represented by parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.

The invite to the SCO chair comes ahead of the SCO summit in Bishkek on June 13-14, which Modi will attend. Presence of Kyrgyz leader could allow Delhi to contribute to the summit declaration, expected to focus on security, Afghanistan and connectivity issues.