- Negotiations
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or BIMSTEC, groups together Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The seven-country forum aims to achieve its own free trade area by 2017.
last update: May 2012
Photo: Palácio do Planalto/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
22-Feb-2016
Live Mint
Softening its earlier stand, India has decided to conclude a low-ambition free trade agreement with the seven-nation grouping Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or Bimstec.
20-Sep-2015
Members of the Trade Negotiating Committee of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional bloc of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, are going to meet in Bangkok between 7-9, September 2015, for working on a functional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among member countries.
13-Jan-2015
BD News 24
Bangladesh hopes that the much-expected BIMSTEC FTA (between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand) will be finalised this year.
7-Mar-2014
DNA
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’s lack of concrete achievement points to the need for greater political will and clarity of purpose
4-Mar-2014
Urging the seven-member BIMSTEC grouping to fast-track trade and economic cooperation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday called for “early conclusion” of the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement and said it should be extended to investment and services.
4-Mar-2014
PTI
BIMSTEC leaders today resolved to expeditiously conclude an agreement on trade in goods to promote commerce among member nations India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal.
7-May-2013
The long forgotten traditional links including the historic Stilwell Road connecting the North-east and the neighbouring countries have emerged as critical to connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia.
8-Mar-2011
The BIMSTEC member countries have decided to establish a free trade area (FTA) for transaction in goods from July next year. If established, the FTA would be two years behind its original deadline, trade official said.
25-Feb-2011
PTI
Thailand today said it will push for the conclusion of a free trade agreement with India and other members of Bimstec by July, enabling tariff reduction next year.
8-Jun-2009
ToI
India took its trade diplomacy up several notches with negotiators wrapping up a free trade deal in goods with other BIMSTEC countries, ie. Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal.
