Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the BIMSTEC countries have stood by each other under trying circumstances, like cyclones, Tsunamis, earthquakes and floods.
He was speaking at the PANEX-21, a trans-national, multi-agency exercise organised at the College of Military Engineering in Pune, where he witnessed a demonstration related to a natural disaster scenario in the time of COVID-19 pandemic and the response of humanitarian aid and disaster management.
The exercise aims to foster jointness and develop capabilities in disaster management aspects for the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) nations.
The BIMSTEC regional organisation comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, besides India.
Singh said the recent decades have witnessed a series of calamities like cyclones, Tsunamis, earthquakes and floods, that caused large scale deaths and destruction.
"It is in times of such adverse conditions that the depth of understanding and friendship can best be gauged. And I have no hesitation in acknowledging that our countries have stood by each other under such trying circumstances," the Union minister said.
He said it will remain India's endeavour to facilitate, support and assist in all possible ways and develop measures that aid in regional cooperation, which benefit all the member states, in the Bay of Bengal region.
