On August 6, 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), hosted the Inaugural Session of BIMSTEC Business Summit in New Delhi.

The summit aims to enhance regional collaboration through strong trade and investment relations among the member countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

The BIMSTEC Secretary General H.E. Mr. Indramani Pandey said that all member states are uniting and participating in various sessions, including B2B meetings. He expressed hope that this first BIMSTEC Business Summit will boost intra-regional trade and promote more investment within the region.

India places great importance on BIMSTEC, which connects five South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka) with two South-East Asian countries (Myanmar and Thailand).

A CII study on BIMSTEC Economic Cooperation was also released during the inaugural session.