REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NAY PYI TAW -- The third Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit issued declaration here on Tuesday.

The declaration came at the end of the one-day summit which was attended by presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and representatives from seven BIMSTEC countries including Myanmar.

The declaration expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation between law enforcement agencies of member states in combating terrorism and transnational crimes, calling for expediting the ratification for entry into force of the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism.

It also noted that all member states agreed to intensify and deepen cooperation in all areas of activities within the framework of BIMSTEC, including strengthening institutional mechanism.

The seven member states reiterated firm commitment to alleviate poverty in the BIMSTEC region to ensure dignity, improve the quality of life and well-being of the peoples.

They further recognized the special challenges faced by the least developed member states in the region and the need to support them in their development process.

They decided to move forward towards finalization of the draft Agreement on Trade in Goods with agreed General Rules of Origin and Product Specific Rules and also towards signing of the Agreement on Dispute Settlement Procedures and the Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters under the Framework Agreement on the BIMSTEC Free Trade Area.

They agreed to implement the BIMSTEC Poverty Plan of Action adopted at the Second BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Poverty Alleviation in January 2012 in Nepal and welcomed the offer by Sri Lanka to host the Third Ministerial Meeting on Poverty Alleviation during the first half of 2014.

The declaration also conveyed appreciation to the Government of Bangladesh for providing premises for the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka.

The seven nations reaffirmed that they welcome the appointment of Sumith Nakandala of Sri Lanka as the first Secretary General of BIMSTEC.

They also appreciated the signing of three significant deals including two Memorandum of Association (MoAs) and one Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish BIMSTEC's Secretariat Office in Dhaka of Bangladesh, a meteorology and hydrology department in Noida of India and cultural department in Thimpu of Bhutan.

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

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

The first and second BIMSTEC summits were held in Thailand in 2004 and in 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 would host the third BIMSTEC Summit and related meetings.

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