BIMSTEC excludes Rohingya crisis from agenda as ‘Political Issue,’ Secretary-General Says

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has not included the Rohingya crisis on its official agenda because the issue is considered political in nature, BIMSTEC Secretary-General Indra Mani Pandey said on Tuesday.

Speaking during an exchange of views with members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Gulshan, Dhaka, Pandey said the organization’s priorities are determined collectively by its seven member states and have traditionally focused on technical and economic cooperation rather than political matters.

“The member states sit together and decide on BIMSTEC’s agenda. Thus far, our agenda has not encompassed issues of a political nature. Accordingly, this matter falls within that category,” Pandey told journalists when asked whether BIMSTEC had taken any initiative to help resolve the Rohingya crisis.

Focus Remains on Regional Technical and Economic Cooperation

Pandey said BIMSTEC was established to strengthen practical cooperation between South Asia and Southeast Asia, particularly in technical, economic and development sectors.

He emphasized that the regional organization continues to receive political backing from its member states while deliberately maintaining its focus on delivering tangible cooperation rather than engaging in politically sensitive issues.

According to the Secretary-General, avoiding political disputes has allowed BIMSTEC to concentrate on its core objectives of regional integration and development.

Bangladesh Calls for Greater BIMSTEC Engagement

Pandey’s remarks came a day after Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, urged BIMSTEC to play a more active role in facilitating the safe and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BISS) in Dhaka on Monday, attended by the BIMSTEC Secretary-General, the state minister called for stronger regional cooperation to address one of South Asia’s most pressing humanitarian crises.

Regional Challenge Remains Unresolved

Myanmar, one of BIMSTEC’s seven member states, is the country of origin of the Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority who have faced decades of persecution.

Since the Myanmar military’s 2017 crackdown in Rakhine State, more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees have fled to neighboring Bangladesh, where they remain in overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Bangladesh has repeatedly appealed to regional and international partners to support efforts toward the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

However, despite the issue’s significant regional implications, BIMSTEC has so far maintained that political matters remain outside its institutional mandate.