BIMSTEC leaders pledge free trade talks

Leaders from seven Asian nations, (L-R) Nepal's PM Sher Bahadur Deuba, Myanmar PM General Khin Nyunt, Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, Indian PM Manmohan Singh, Bhutan's PM Lyonopo Jigmi Ythinly and Bangladesh's PM Begum Khaleda Zia, line up for a group photograph on the final day of the first BIMST-EC Summit in Bangkok on July 31, 2004. Seven leaders from South and Southeast Asian countries pledged timely advancement in the free trade area talks in a declaration issued at the end of their summit meeting. At the summit, the group was renamed as BIMSTEC or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation to better reflect its new initiatives.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks during the BIMST-EC Summit in Bangkok, July 31, 2004. Singh said that India was ready to promote cooperation among countries around the Bengal Bay.