| 1 | 2014–2017 |  Sri LankaChairmanshipThe BIMSTEC uses the alphabetical order for the Chairmanship. The Chairmanship of the BIMSTEC has been taken in rotation commencing with
.Member nations; Notes:
| Countries | Head of state | Head of government | Population | Nominal GDP / billion |  BangladeshUN_Population|BangladeshHeads of the member nationsLeaders are either heads of state or heads of government, depending on which is constitutionally the chief executive of the nation's government.BIMSTEC priority sectors14 priority areas have been identified with the lead nations appointed to lead the effort:
The organisation has 15 priority areas for cooperation, including Trade & Investment, Transport & Communication, Energy, Tourism, Technology, Fisheries, Agriculture, Public Health, Poverty Alleviation, Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime, Environment & Disaster Management, People-to-People Contact, Cultural Cooperation, Climate Change and Blue Economy.
| Priority Area | Lead Country | Centre | Comments | | Transport and communication | | | | | Tourism | | BIMSTEC Tourism Information Centre, Delhi | | | Counterterrorism and transnational crime | | | Four subgroups: Intelligence sharing – Sri Lanka,
Terror financing – Thailand,
Legal – Myanmar,
Law enforcement and narcotics – Myanmar | | Environment and disaster management | | BIMSTEC Weather and Climate Centre, Noida | | | Energy |  MyanmarThe BIMSTEC Free Trade Area Framework Agreement has been signed by all member nations to stimulate trade and investment in the parties, and attract outsiders to trade with and invest in the BIMSTEC countries at a higher level. Subsequently, the "Trade Negotiating Committee" was set up, with Thailand as the permanent chair, to negotiate in areas of trade in goods and services, investment, economic co-operation, trade facilitations and technical assistance n. for LDCs. Once negotiation on trade in goods is completed, the TNC would then proceed with negotiation on trade in services and investment.
The BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement draft was discussed on 1 December 2017 in New Delhi, to facilitate coastal shipping within 20 nautical miles of the coastline in the region to boost trade between the member countries. Compared to the deep sea shipping, coastal ship require smaller vessels with lesser draft and involve lower costs. Once the agreement becomes operational after it is ratified, a lot of cargo movement between the member countries can be done through the cost effective, environment friendly and faster coastal shipping routes.
The necessity for coastal shipping ecosystem and electricity grid interconnectivity, as two of the necessary components of the evolving shape of BIMSTEC.
On 7 and 8 November 2019, the first ever BIMSTEC Conclave of Ports summit was held in Visakhapatnam, India. The main aims of this summit is providing a platform to strengthen maritime interaction, port-led connectivity initiatives and sharing best practices among member countries.
In 2022 summit saw the declaration of the Master Plan for Transport Connectivity that would provide a framework for regional and domestic connectivity,The Asian Development Bank becomes a partner in 2005, to undertake the "BIMSTEC Transport Infrastructure and Logistic Study", which was completed in 2014.BIMSTEC Summits| No. | Date | Host country | Host city | | 1st | 31 July 2004 |  ThailandProjects- Coast shipping
- Power grid interconnection
- Regional disaster monitoring and warning system
- Road and rail Look-East connectivity projects
- MILEX-18:The first-ever BIMSTEC Multinational Military Field Training Exercise was held in Pune, India from 10–16 September 2018. The exercise was attended by all seven BIMSTEC member countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The theme of the exercise was counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain. The participating troops conducted a series of exercises, including search-and-cordon operations, search and destroy, and handling and neutralisation of improvised explosive devices. They also participated in a validation exercise on the final day of the exercise.
The MILEX-18 was a major success and was hailed as a significant step towards increased military cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region. The exercise helped to improve interoperability between the participating forces and to share best practices in the field of counter-terrorism. It also helped to build trust and confidence among the BIMSTEC member countries.
The MILEX-18 was a major boost to the BIMSTEC security cooperation agenda. It is expected to pave the way for more such exercises in the future, which will help to further enhance the security cooperation between the BIMSTEC member countries.
In addition to the military exercises, the MILEX-18 also included a number of other activities, such as an Army Chiefs' Conclave and a seminar on counter-terrorism. The Army Chiefs' Conclave was an opportunity for the participating countries to discuss and share their views on regional security issues. The seminar on counter-terrorism provided a forum for the participants to learn about the latest trends in terrorism and to discuss ways to counter it.
The MILEX-18 was a landmark event in the history of BIMSTEC. It was a major step towards increased military cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region and it is expected to have a positive impact on regional security.
The following are some of the key outcomes of the MILEX-18:
Improved interoperability between the participating forces.
Sharing of best practices in the field of counter-terrorism.
Building of trust and confidence among the BIMSTEC member countries.
Paving the way for more such exercises in the future.
Boost to the BIMSTEC security cooperation agenda.
The MILEX-18 was a major success and it is a positive sign for the future of BIMSTEC security cooperation. The exercise helped to build trust and confidence among the member countries and it is expected to further enhance their cooperation in the field of security.
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