Enhanced cooperation, institutionalized mechanisms needed for a prosperous Bay of Bengal

Kochi (Kerala) [India], December 1 : The two-day International Conference on the Security and Prosperity of Bay of Bengal that concluded on Wednesday discussed the need for cooperation, understanding and support both in traditional and non-traditional security challenges faced by the Bay of Bengal (BoB) region, the Chairman of Centre for Public Policy Research, Dr D Dhanuraj said.
"The conference discussed the need for cooperation, understanding and support both in traditional and non-traditional security challenges faced by the Bay of Bengal (BoB) region. I think the key takeaway is that the BoB region is going to play a major role in global geopolitics as it connects the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East. And being an important sea line of communication, it plays an important role in the global supply chains. So, understanding that significance and realizing the potential is the need of the hour for all the countries of the Bay of Bengal," he said as he emphasised the importance of the Bay of Bengal region in global supply chains.
The conversations and discussions on the second day of the international conference attested to the region's increasing traction in geopolitical and security architecture, with each session bringing out key takeaways, insights, and ideas to further strengthen the Bay of Bengal region.
The keynote point from the two-day conference that took place in Kochi included institutionalization of mechanisms, and enhanced cooperation among littoral countries with time-bound inter-ministerial, inter-governmental meetings on interdisciplinary issues that will help to realize the potential of the Bay of Bengal region.
Global diplomats, delegates and experts from Germany, Thailand, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Maldives participated in the event which had discussions across multiple sessions on the blue economy, enhanced energy cooperation, trade and investment, environment sustainability and human security for the regional development of the Bay of Bengal.
The discussions emphasised the importance of member countries cooperating more on issues such as counter-terrorism, energy, human security, and technology transfer.
The need to institutionalise these mechanisms, as well as the countries that are better or in a better position to care for the rest of the groups, should come forward and collaborate with other member countries in the Bay of Bengal region.