Colombo/New Delhi, March 15 : The much-awaited 5th BIMSTEC or Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation summit to be hosted by Sri Lanka on March 30 could be held in hybrid format. While Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has confirmed he will be attending the 5th BIMSTEC Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit is still not confirmed — as to whether he will participate virtually or travel to Sri Lanka for the summit. The seven-nation BIMSTEC, comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand was founded in 1997. Most of the member states have been given a formal intimation over participation at the summit. The Colombo Summit is expected approve the BIMSTEC Charter, BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity and BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. The group will also work towards finalisation of the BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement and the Motor Vehicles Agreement. Among the seven members of the BIMSTEC, five are also members of the dysfunctional South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). RN