The seven-nation BIMSTEC grouping adopted a convention to combat terrorism and insurgency in Nay Pyi Taw on Friday. This move is expected to strengthen India's efforts against militancy, especially in its northeast region, according to the Press Trust of India. Foreign ministers from India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Thailand, and Nepal signed the Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Trans-National Organised Crime, and Illicit Drug Trafficking at the 12th BIMSTEC Ministerial meeting in Myanmar's capital. They also agreed to prioritize climate change as a key area of cooperation among BIMSTEC countries. Myanmar's prime minister Thein Sein emphasized the importance of cooperation in combating terrorism and trans-national organized crime during the ministerial meeting. The Prime Minister of Myanmar emphasized the issue of terrorism in his inaugural speech, indicating that it has become a major topic for discussion. Regional connectivity was highlighted as a key focus for the upcoming summit of BIMSTEC foreign ministers, with plans to discuss and devise a route plan for connectivity in the region at future meetings of transport ministers from member countries. The member states of the economic bloc, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, came together to establish it in 1997. The connectivity plan aims to connect six South Asian countries with South East Asian countries like Thailand and Myanmar, providing an alternative approach for regional integration in South Asia without the involvement of Pakistan and Afghanistan.