REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NAY PYI TAW -- Myanmar President U Thein Sein on Tuesday called on the seven-member grouping BIMSTEC to promote the development and prosperity of the peoples of BIMSTEC.

Addressing at the opening ceremony of the third Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation ( BIMSTEC) Sumit held in Nay Pyi Taw on the same day, Thein Sein urged to increase the efforts for a stronger cooperation that will sustain the momentum of BIMSTEC.

"Our top priority is to alleviate poverty in the region and improve the quality of life and well-being of our peoples," he said, "we are now working together in 14 sectors including trade

and investment, technology, energy, transport and communication, tourist, fisheries, agriculture, cultural cooperation, environment and disaster management, public health, people-to-people contract, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, and climate change.

He stressed that member states need to combine their strengths and resources under the banner of BIMSTEC to engage with other international bodies in addressing such problems as new threats of non-traditional and transnational challenges of climate change, natural disasters, energy and food security.

"Through the collective endeavors and in a spirit of equality and partnership, we will certainly be accelerating economic growth and social progress in the sub-region," he said.

BIMSTEC groups Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.

The third BIMSTEC summit and its related meetings were held from March 1-4.

The First and Second BIMSTEC Summits were held in Thailand in 2004 and India in 2008.

Although Myanmar has assumed BIMSTEC Chair since 2009, there has been a delay in approval of members for Myanmar to host the third Summit.

The 13th ministerial level meeting held in Nay Pyi Taw in 2011 approved Myanmar to host the third BIMSTEC Summit and related meetings.

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