New Delhi: A two-day meeting between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN) was held here on March 7 and 8, to discuss the protocols for regulating passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic to be operationalized in these countries.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the four countries had signed the original BBIN MVA protocol on June 15, 2015. They held their last meeting in February 2020 in New Delhi. No meetings could be scheduled thereafter because of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, an enabling Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by India, Bangladesh, and Nepal for implementing the BBIN MVA by the three countries, subject to Bhutan’s ratification of the MVA.
Though Bhutan was a signatory to the original agreement, it raised concerns about the project’s sustainability and its environmental impact. It has been attending the meetings as an observer since 2017.
Their delegations favored signing the MoU at the earliest to give momentum to implementing the BBIN MVA.
The countries emphasized the importance of quickly implementing the BBIN MVA to allow for seamless movement between them, facilitating trade and people-to-people contact.
By completing the Passenger and Cargo Protocols, the MVA will be operationalized, allowing the BBIN countries to realize the full potential of trade and people-to-people connectivity by fostering greater sub-regional cooperation.
The delegates agreed on specific steps and timelines for quickly completing the protocols for the BBIN MVA implementation.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has supported the project and provided technical and knowledge support.
(Venkatesh)