India, Oct. 13 -- The Government of India has issued a release:
India hosted the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi today, chaired by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah. The meeting reiterated the shared commitment of BIMSTEC member countries to strengthen regional security, trust and cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region.
In his address, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, said that hosting the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' meeting is a matter of great pride and privilege for India. He said that BIMSTEC has become an essential platform for regional integration, economic cooperation, and collective security. He said that today India is moving forward with the spirit of 'Vishwamitra'. We are committed to peace, coexistence , and human welfare.
Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had said during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok on April 4, 2025, "BIMSTEC is not just a regional organization for us. It is a model for our inclusive development and security." Shri Shah said that it is in this vision that today, as Home Ministers, it is our responsibility to transform our cooperation into practical arrangements that ensure the security of our citizens and strengthen the capabilities of our agencies.
The Union Home Minister emphasized India's "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism and called for enhanced cooperation against terrorism, cross-border organized crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and emerging cyber threats. He stressed the importance of timely intelligence sharing, financial investigations, mutual legal assistance, and extradition to bring criminals and terrorists to justice. The Home Minister stated that it is our shared resolve to ensure that no part of the region provides shelter, recruitment, training, resource gathering, or activities against neighboring countries for terrorist networks. Shri Shah said that mutual legal assistance and cooperation in extradition, in accordance with national laws and applicable treaties, can strengthen our efforts to bring criminals to justice.
The Home Minister underlined the importance of five key areas of cooperation: drug control, counter-terrorism and legal cooperation, repatriation of fugitive criminals, cybersecurity and cybercrime investigation, and institutional cooperation and capacity building. He emphasized the need for a coordinated regional approach to combat illicit financial transactions and terrorist financing, and for strengthening cooperation between law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, and border management agencies.
Shri Amit Shah said that India believes that drug trafficking is a form of 'death trafficking.' In this spirit, he reiterated that there is nothing 'golden' about drug trafficking . He said that this is not just a drug trade, but an attack on the lives of our youth, society, culture , and the future of future generations. The Home Minister said that this cannot be achieved through the efforts of one country. We must adopt a 'whole of region' approach. Shri Shah said that illegal drug proceeds provide financial power to organized crime and can also be used in terrorist financing. He said that diversion of precursor chemicals, and transactions through the dark web, further complicate this challenge.
Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah stated that he considers cooperation in disaster management in the BIMSTEC region a top priority. He noted that during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had proposed the establishment of a "BIMSTEC Disaster Management Centre" in India. Expressing happiness, Shri Shah said that this centre is planned to be located in Jamnagar, Gujarat. This initiative underscores India's exemplary role as a 'first responder' in disaster management across the region . He urged member countries to actively participate in making this proposed centre operational .
Shri Amit Shah said that the security of one member country strengthens the security of the entire region. With this mantra, India is committed to enhancing trust, respect, and cooperation with all member countries for a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Bay of Bengal region , and to achieving concrete outcomes from this meeting.
The Home Minister of the Government of India led the Indian delegation to the Home Ministers' Meeting, and the Union Home Secretary led the Senior Officials' Meeting. The meeting was attended by delegations from all BIMSTEC member countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The first meeting of Home Ministers, held after the Senior Officials' Meeting, provided a valuable opportunity to review various initiatives taken by BIMSTEC in the security sector and to chart a way forward to further strengthen regional cooperation in dealing with emerging security threats.
The Home Ministers of BIMSTEC member countries approved the following:
The first Home Ministers' Meeting also adopted the Delhi Declaration, which outlines various principles underpinning security cooperation within BIMSTEC. The Delhi Declaration of the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting committed member countries to strengthen cooperation for regional peace, security, and development. The Declaration emphasized combating cross-border terrorism, terrorist financing, radicalization, drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, and organized crime. Priority was given to information sharing, mutual legal assistance, extradition, capacity building, and effective implementation of existing agreements and action plans. Emphasis was also placed on protecting victims of human trafficking in online fraud. India's leadership in strengthening regional security cooperation was commended.
India reiterated its commitment to sharing its expertise in police training, counter-terrorism operations, and forensic investigations. The meeting also emphasized cooperation in disaster management, including the proposed BIMSTEC Disaster Management Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
This meeting was an important step towards making the BIMSTEC region more secure and prosperous.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) serves as an important institutional link between the sub-regions of South and Southeast Asia, promoting multifaceted cooperation, collective security and economic partnership among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
During the 4th BIMSTEC Summit held in 2018, it was decided to hold meetings at the level of BIMSTEC Home Ministers to strengthen cooperation and coordination. In a significant step towards further strengthening regional security cooperation, Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi extended India's full support to this initiative during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit and expressed his commitment to host the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' meeting.
Disclaimer: The original story of this translated version is available on Press Information Bureau.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
