Explanation
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a multilateral regional organisation that brings together countries of the
Bay of Bengal region, acting as a bridge between
South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Statement I is correct. BIMSTEC consists of
seven member states —
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Five of these are from
South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka) and two from
Southeast Asia (Myanmar and Thailand). This composition remained unchanged as of
January 2025.
Statement II is incorrect. BIMSTEC was established through the
Bangkok Declaration of June 1997 — not the Dhaka Declaration of 1999. It was originally formed as
BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). The 1999 Dhaka meeting expanded its membership and scope but did
not mark the creation of the organisation.
Statement III is incorrect. The
founding members in 1997 were only
Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Myanmar joined later in
1997 itself, making it
BIMST-EC.
Nepal and Bhutan joined in 2004, after which it was renamed
BIMSTEC. Nepal was therefore
not a founding member.
Statement IV is incorrect. Within BIMSTEC’s sector-driven cooperation framework, the
Tourism subsector is led by
Nepal — under the broader
People-to-People Contacts pillar.
India leads the
Security pillar, which includes three subsectors —
Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime, Disaster Management, and Energy Security.
Therefore, only
Statement I is correct.