Bangladesh has blocked Myanmar’s bid to be a member of the 22-member Indian Ocean Rim Association in a recent meeting of the organisation during the 21st IORA Council of Senior Officials’ (CSO) Meeting held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on Nov 5-6.

The decision of not allowing Myanmar to become an IORA member was taken ‘as there was no consensus’ on the matter amid opposition from Bangladesh in a meeting of the council of senior officials of the organisation, reports BSS citing a media release.

Myanmar sought IORA membership for the first time in 2017.

The CSO Meeting will be followed by the 19th Council of Ministers’ Meeting (COMM) which is scheduled to be held at the same venue on Nov 7.

During the CSO Meeting, Vice Chairmanship for the tenure of October 2019-October 2021 was officially handed over to Bangladesh. Subsequently, Bangladesh will assume the charge of the chair from October 1, 2021, for two years tenure.

IORA, an inter-governmental organisation which was established on Mar 7, 1997, is a dynamic organisation with an ever-growing momentum for mutually beneficial regional cooperation through a consensus-based, evolutionary and non-intrusive approach.