The second Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will begin at New Delhi today.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will address the Summit this morning.

Combating of terrorism, transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking will feature prominently at the second Summit.

The BIMSTEC comprising seven members -- Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal aimed at promoting multi-sectoral cooperation foreconomic and social progress of the region.

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.

Over the period of the past decade, the BIMSTEC was able to carry out the endorsement of the framework agreement on the BIMSTEC Free Trade Area, designation of 2004-05 as Visit BIMSTEC Year, establishment of BIMSTEC Chambers of Commerce and holding of the first BIMSTEC youth football tournament in Phuket, formation of the Central Department of BIMSTEC activities in Bangkok and implementation of bio-gas project in Myingyan township in Myanmar.

With a population of over 1.4 billion accounting for 21 percent of the world population, the BIMSTEC registered a gross domestic product of 750 billion U.S. dollars and a trade volume of 33 to 59billion dollars under the BIMSTEC free trade area scheme.

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