External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India will aim to enhance regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC grouping as there have been certain problems with SAARC. Speaking at a seminar, he added that implementation of developmental projects in neighbouring countries and elsewhere will be one of his key focus areas. Citing continuing support to cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, India has maintained that it is difficult to proceed with the SAARC initiative. The last SAARC Summit was in 2014, held in Kathmandu. In the past few years, India has been pushing for regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC umbrella. Besides India, BIMSTEC comprises Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. Founded in 1997, BIMSTEC currently represents over 1.5 billion people and has a combined gross domestic product of 3.5 trillion US dollars. In 2014, PM Modi had invited all SAARC leaders, including the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony, in a major initiative to reach out to the neighbourhood. However, this time, the BIMSTEC leaders were invited, which was seen as an attempt to avoid inviting Pakistan for the event.

This edition of India’s World will take a closer look at India’s neighbourhood policy.