India to Host First-Ever BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi
Bangladesh to Send Secretary-Level Delegation as Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed Skips Meeting Amid Strained Bilateral Ties
India is set to host the first-ever BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on October 13, bringing together representatives from member countries to discuss shared regional security challenges.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed on Monday that India would host the historic meeting. Highlighting its significance, Shah said the gathering reflects the collective resolve of BIMSTEC member states to combat terrorism, transnational organised crime, narcotics-related radicalisation, trafficking, illicit financial flows and cyber threats.
In a social media post, Shah said member countries remained committed to building a safer, stronger and more secure BIMSTEC region through decisive coordination and enhanced cooperation.
However, Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will skip the meeting. Instead, a delegation led by Home Affairs Senior Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury will represent Bangladesh. Secretary-level officials from Bangladesh and minister-level representatives from the other member countries are among those expected to attend the event. The development comes amid strained relations between India and Bangladesh.
BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a regional organisation comprising seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The grouping was established on June 6, 1997, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. Initially known as BIST-EC, comprising Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the organisation expanded with the admission of Myanmar in December 1997. Nepal and Bhutan joined in 2004, further strengthening its regional presence.
The New Delhi meeting marks the first gathering of BIMSTEC Home Ministers and is expected to strengthen cooperation among member states in addressing common security concerns.
Beyond security cooperation, BIMSTEC works across several key sectors, including agriculture and food security, the blue economy, connectivity, culture, disaster management, energy, the environment and climate change, health, human resource development, fisheries and livestock, and people-to-people relations.
The meeting is expected to provide an important platform for member countries to enhance coordination and develop a collective approach to emerging regional security threats.
