Considering the importance of closer regional economic cooperation and integration through enhanced regional connectivity by road for cross-border to improve connectivity and people to people contact for furthering the shared goal of overall economic development, a meeting of the Secretaries of Transport of India, Myanmar and Thailand (IMT) was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 13-14 July 2015 to reach consensus on signing and operationalizing the IMT Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) which has been under negotiation since March 2015. It may be recalled that the text of the MVA was already finalized by the three countries in the Transport Secretaries meeting, held in June 2015 at Bengaluru, India and the meeting at Bangkok was primarily to discuss and finalize the Protocol of the IMT MVA.

The Meeting at Bangkok was attended by delegations from the IMT countries comprising Secretaries of Transport and other transport and customs officials, and was supported by staff and consultants of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The meeting emphasized on the importance of the IMT MVA and its critical role in realizing seamless movement of passenger, personal and cargo vehicles along roads linking the IMT countries. The initiative also will establish road connectivity between South Asia and Southeast Asia, which will strengthen economic integration and cooperation between the two sub-regions and boost their collective economic progress and development.

The Transport Secretaries meeting was preceded by the IMT Customs Sub-group Meeting on 13 July 2015 to address the various customs-related issues in the protocol to be finalized under the IMT MVA and consensus was reached that the customs issues identified would be incorporated in the Protocol(s). Various non-customs related issues for the protocol were also negotiated and a largely agreed text of draft Protocol(s) was developed in the meeting.

The Meeting recognized the importance of carrying out necessary actions to ensure speedy finalization of the text (Protocol/ Schedule) as part of the IMT MVA. It was decided that the IMT MVA will be signed during a proposed Transport Ministers' level meeting of three countries in Myanmar in November 2015.The signing of the agreement and its implementation is planned by December 2015 and is expected to be operational in 2016, opening the way for movement of cargo and passengers (including personal vehicles) on the India-Myanmar-Thailand road corridor.

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(Source: Press Information Bureau of India Press Release - 23 July 2015)