The Bay of Bengal, known as the largest bay on the planet, occupies an area of over 2.2 million square kilometers and serves as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Bay of Bengal plays a vital role with its maritime trade routes, connecting countries on all sides of the bay, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand, to global commerce. These countries also share close ties in geography, economy, society, culture, language, and religion.

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a pivotal organization that fosters trade and investment, improves infrastructure, and enhances security among seven member countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

As chair of BIMSTEC during 2022-2025, Thailand is going to host the sixth BIMSTEC Summit and related meetings, from 2 to 4 April 2025 in Bangkok. This is a significant opportunity to enhance economic cooperation and create robust strategic development among member states, promoting Thailand’s role as a regional hub for trade and logistics, a crucial linkage to the Bay of Bengal.