India always stood by regional partners as 1st responder during crisis: MEA

India has "always stood" by its partners in the region as the first responder in times of crisis, and the BIMSTEC disaster management exercise further strengthened cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region towards disaster preparedness, response and resilience, the MEA said on Wednesday.

India hosted the 4th BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise virtually on July 14-15.

The exercise organised by the National Disaster Management Authority, as a tabletop exercise, witnessed the participation of disaster management professionals from BIMSTEC Member States to assess and enhance regional preparedness for cyclones and floods.

"The participants presented details of national disaster management architectures, engaged in simulated scenarios, evaluated response frameworks and shared best practices to strengthen coordination for disaster response across the region," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

"India has always stood by its partners in the region as the first responder in times of crisis. The Exercise further strengthened cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region towards disaster preparedness, response and resilience," it said.

India also hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC Ports Conclave in Visakhapatnam on July 14-15.

The theme of the conclave was 'Navigating the Future: Blue Economy, Innovation and Sustainable Partnerships'.

The conclave was inaugurated by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and saw participation of delegations of the BIMSTEC member States, comprising officials, maritime experts, port authorities, private sector leaders, and regional development partners.

"The Conclave discussed diverse issues such as harmonising customs procedures and enhancing logistical links to boost intra-regional trade, port-linked industrial zones, cruise tourism, digital integration, upskilling maritime workforce, industry-academia ties, green shipping," the MEA said in another statement on Wednesday.

This initiative by India, in line with its Neighbourhood First policy, will "further strengthen maritime cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region," it said.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organisation that was established in 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.

Initially known as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), the organisation is now known as BIMSTEC, comprises seven Member States with the admission of Myanmar later in 1997, and Bhutan and Nepal in 2004.