ABSTRACT
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was established in 1997. It is a regional organisation that bridges South Asia and Southeast Asia. In recent years, BIMSTEC has become an essential component of India's foreign policy. BIMSTEC gives India a platform to establish regional leadership and foster cooperation among the members of BIMSTEC. By utilising a descriptive and qualitative methodology, this paper will discuss the relations of India with BIMSTEC. The paper aims to understand the challenges in BIMSTEC and the opportunities that the grouping holds for the region. The paper concludes that BIMSTEC gives India the opportunity to boost its presence as well as balance the geopolitical pressures in the region.
