Nepal and Thailand could sign a slew of agreements around the sixth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) as part of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s bilateral visit to Thailand.

Besides participating in the summit from April 2 to 4, Prime Minister Oli wants to undertake a bilateral visit to Thailand. According to senior foreign ministry officials, a number of agreements/memoranda of understanding will be signed between the two countries as well as the private sectors of Nepal and Thailand.

The summit was supposed to be convened in the first week of September last year but had to be postponed due to the government change in Thailand.

There is a possibility of the prime minister’s bilateral visit to Thailand, said Krishna Prasad Dhakal, the foreign ministry spokesperson. Oli will attend the summit, hold bilateral meetings and talks with Bimstec leaders, and have other official engagements in Bangkok.

The lists of bilateral projects for agreement between Nepal and Thailand have yet to be finalised, two senior foreign ministry officials told the Post on condition of anonymity as the two sides are still in the consultation phase.

According to the public relations department of Thailand under the Prime Minister’s Office, the key deliverables for the upcoming summit include the Bimstec Bangkok Vision 2030, report of the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) on the future direction of Bimstec, and the Bimstec Summit Declaration.

The EPG report includes recommendations to reform, revitalise, and repurpose Bimstec. While preparing its report, the EPG reviewed the existing regional cooperation within Bimstec in all sectors. It undertook a comprehensive review of the existing institutional framework of Bimstec and engaged in consultations with the stakeholders, according to the Bimstec secretariat.

Bimstec, established in 1997, stands as a pivotal organisation fostering regional cooperation between South and Southeast Asia. It comprises seven member states—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The Bimstec region is home to over 1.7 billion people and has a combined GDP of $4.7 trillion, said the public relations department of Thailand. Thailand chairs the grouping for the 2022-2024 period until the handover from the upcoming summit. Bimstec aspires to achieve a “prosperous, resilient, and open region known as pro-Bimstec” by 2030.

Member states will also try to finalise the Bimstec free trade agreement (FTA), which is expected to significantly enhance intra-regional trade between member countries as well as regional connectivity.

Nepal has proposed bilateral meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders on the margins of the summit, said the officials.

As per the tradition, the prime minister holds bilateral meetings with all heads of state/governments attending the summit. Before the summit, there will be a series of preparatory meetings, including between foreign ministers, senior officials, and joint secretaries of the Bimstec member states.

Sometime during or after the summit, the Nepali side is planning prime-ministerial-led bilateral engagement in Bangkok.

“We have already proposed the prime minister’s official bilateral visit to Thailand during the Bimstec summit,” a senior diplomat at the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok told the Post. “We await confirmation from the Thai authorities.”

According to multiple officials at the foreign ministry and the Nepali Embassy, Nepal aims to sign agreements with Thailand on tourism, culture and on technical collaboration in agriculture including on soil testing, seed treatment, plantation, harvesting, marketing and developing the value chain of agricultural products.

Private industry bodies of Nepal such as the Federation of Nepali Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the Confederation of Nepali Industries, and the Nepal Chamber of Commerce will sign some agreements and MoUs with the respective business bodies of Thailand to formalise the collaboration between the private sectors, according to officials.

“Thailand has shown exemplary progress in agricultural modernisation, which could benefit us as well,” said a foreign ministry official. “We also want collaboration on clean energy and hydrogen. The next frontier will be collaboration between Nepali and Thai universities on student exchange.”

The bilateral visit and delegation-level talks, followed by the signing of some agreements, will conclude in a single day, said officials privy to the preparations.

The Bimstec pursues regional cooperation under seven broad pillars: Agriculture and Food Security; Connectivity; Environment and Climate Change; People to People Contact; Science, Technology and Innovation; Security; and Trade, Investment and Development. The cooperation also covers 8 sub-sectors: Blue Economy, Mountain Economy, Energy, Disaster Management, Fisheries and Livestock, Poverty alleviation, Health and Human Resource Development.