Bangladesh, India, Nepal move forward with motor vehicle agreement project

To ensure swift movement of goods and people across the region, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal have decided to move ahead with the Motor Vehicle Agreement project of the sub-regional Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) grouping. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to travel to Sri Lanka later this month to attend the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit. This also includes Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan as well. The Ministry of External Affair in its latest statement said: “During the meeting, an enabling MOU to be signed by India, Bangladesh, and Nepal for implementation of the BBIN MVA by the three countries, pending ratification of the MVA by Bhutan, was finalized. Operationalizing the MVA by concluding the Passenger and the Cargo Protocol will help realize the full potential of trade and people to people connectivity between the BBIN countries by fostering greater sub-regional cooperation.”  Bhutan however has decided to pull itself from the group citing sustainability and environmental issues.