Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein will attend the 2nd Summit on the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) slated for Thursday in New Delhi, India, said an official announcement from Nay Pyi Taw today.

BIMSTEC now comprises seven members -- Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal with the prior five standing as the original members sharing the Bay of Bengal since its founding in 1997. Bhutan and Nepal joined in 2004.

The grouping, aimed at promoting multi-sectoral cooperation for economic and social progress of the region, outlined six areas of cooperation in 1999 and the areas were increased to 13 in 2006.

Myanmar has been active in cooperation with BIMSTEC member countries and out of a total of 13 sectors of cooperation of the sub-regional economic grouping now, Myanmar shares the duty of the leading country in the sectors of transportation, communication and agriculture.

The 13 sectors are known as trade and investment, technology, energy, transportation and communication, tourism, fisheries, poverty alleviation, agriculture, cultural cooperation, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, environment and disaster management, public health and people-to-people contact.

Of these sectors, Bangladesh shares the duty of the leading country in trade and investment, while India in technology, energy, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, and environment and disaster management, Sri Lanka in tourism, Thailand in fisheries and public health, Bhutan in cultural cooperation and Nepal in poverty alleviation.

The first summit of the grouping was held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2004.

Myanmar is reported to take over the chairmanship of the BIMSTEC from India this year under the rotation system for the status of the member countries in alphabetical order.