First Joint Military Drills Of BIMSTEC Nations Start In West Of India - Reports

First Joint Military Drills of BIMSTEC Nations Start in West of India - Reports

First ever joint military drills of the member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) kicked off in the western Indian state of Maharashtra on Monday, local media reported.

NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2018) First ever joint military drills of the member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) kicked off in the western Indian state of Maharashtra on Monday, local media reported.

According to the India Today magazine, the exercises, which will be held in Maharashtra's city of Pune until Sunday. The military from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bhutan will take part in the drills, each presented by 30-strong squads of the armed forces. Nepal and Thailand will be represented by observer teams only.

After the drills, a joint conference of army chiefs of all BIMSTEC nations is set to be held.

BIMSTEC, comprising seven countries of South Asia and South East Asia, was established in 1997. It aims at enhancing the member states' cooperation in various spheres, ranging from trade and investment to human resources development and tourism.