On 31st March, 2023, Institute of Social and Cultural Studies organized a day-long seminar on “BIMSTEC Security Cooperation” at the RTC, ICCR where distinguished speakers from the BIMSTEC nations did deliberate on how sub regional platform like BIMSTEC can address key non-traditional security issues like counter terrorism, cyber and energy security, disaster management etc. The event received collaboration of the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) was partnered by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies. The International Seminar commenced with the welcome address of Shri Arindam Mukherjee, Director, ISCS, India followed by the address of the Chief Guest of the event – Former Air Chief Marshal Shri Arup Raha who shared his valuable observation regarding BIMSTEC Security Cooperation from varied perspectives. The academic session of the seminar was addressed by distinguished speakers and scholars from the BIMSTEC countries which include Captain (IN) Alok Bansal, Director, India Foundation and Adjunct Professor at New Delhi Institute of Management, Vice Admiral (Retd.) Shekhar Sinha, Former Chief of Integrated Defence Staff & Commander in Chief, Western Naval Command, India, Dr. Mahfuz Kabir, Research Director, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), Dhaka, Captain Sarabjeet S Parm, Senior Fellow, National Maritime Foundation, Ms. Sohini Nayak, Research Associate and Foreign Policy Analyst, ISCS, India, Prof. Indranil Sengupta, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT-Kharagpur, Air Cdre (Retd.) Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, Treasurer, East West University Aftabnagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Prof. Rohan Gunaratna, Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore, Sri Gautam Banerjee, Managing Director, Business Brio, Director, Data Science Foundation International, Uttam Sinha, Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Director, Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE), Nepal, Dr. Lobzang Dorji, Senior Lecturer, Norbuling Rigter College, Royal University of Bhutan, Dr. Sirinbhattra Sathabhornwong, Lecturer, Ubon Ratchathani University.

The Speakers in their discourse addressed key issues like the dynamics of maritime security and cooperation among the BIMSTEC nations in this regard, BIMSTEC’S policy initiatives towards
countering terrorism and radicalization and the necessity of energy security and cooperation among the BIMSTEC member countries. The seminar marked its closure with a valedictory speech of Cmde (Dr.) Srikant Kesnur, Ph.D., (Retd.) Former Director, Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC) and Distinguished Academician in Maritime and Naval History, Defence and Diplomacy which was chaired by Dr. Sarup Prasad Ghosh, Director, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS).