New Delhi - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Thursday for focussed cooperation, especially in the area of maritime transport, in his opening remarks at a regional summit.

Top leaders and officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand attended the daylong summit in New Delhi of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

Singh suggested that to make the regional group effective, "We should prepare a blueprint for future activities that is focused on a limited number of issues of common priority."

Transport infrastructure and logistics would be key, he said, while placing special focus on maritime transport, which, he said, could include construction of a deep-sea port to service the region. He also proposed greater cooperation between shipping authorities and logistics networks of member countries.

Describing the regional group as a bridge between South and South-East Asia, Singh said it had the potential of playing an important role in regional economic growth by promoting effective road, rail, air and shipping services and free movement of capital, goods, people and ideas.

Considerable progress had been made on a free trade agreement between members of the initiative and he was hoping for an early conclusion, Singh said.

The prime minister also mentioned an urgent need for collective responses to disasters after the devastating tsunami of December 2004. India had set up a Tsunami Early Warning Centre and would be happy to share data and information with other countries in the group, he said.

Mentioning the challenges of the global financial downturn, terrorism, climate change and food security, which pose threats to regional development efforts, Singh said: "The sumit provides an opportunity for us to give a new strategic thrust to BIMSTEC."

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Bangladesh chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat attended the summit.

The leaders were expected to issue a summit declaration at the end of the day. (dpa)