The meeting comes amid efforts by India and Nepal to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance security cooperation. On Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah met his Nepali counterpart Gurung on the sidelines of the first 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation' (BIMSTEC) home ministers' meeting in New Delhi. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen bilateral cooperation.
“Pleased to meet Nepal's Home Minister Sudhan Gurung during the first meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers in New Delhi. We reiterated our commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation and further strengthen the close ties between India and Nepal for peace, progress and prosperity in our region,” Home Minister Shah said in an X Post.
According to the Nepal Embassy in India, during the meeting Gurung expressed his gratitude for the timely help received from India following the recent floods and landslides in Nepal. They also stressed the need to pursue practical cooperation for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two countries on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect and trust.
The Nepalese mission at the ex-post said the meeting mainly focused on strengthening bilateral security cooperation, coordination on border management, combating transnational crimes and enhancing disaster preparedness and response capacity.
Addressing the BIMSTEC Home Ministers' meeting on Tuesday, Gurung thanked India for its hospitality and expressed gratitude for the solidarity shown by member countries with Nepal during the recent disasters in the Himalayan country.
They reiterated Nepal's commitment to regional cooperation against terrorism and transnational crimes and also stressed on secure information-sharing, coordinated response and timely implementation of commitments.
Gurung also proposed a BIMSTEC regional framework on disaster preparedness and response with the support of a joint task force to strengthen collective capacity, the Nepalese mission said. The meeting, chaired by Home Minister Shah, concluded with the adoption of the 'Delhi Manifesto'.
Home Minister Shah said, “Today in New Delhi chaired the first meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers, which culminated in the adoption of the historic 'Delhi Declaration'. Taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, this meeting of Home Ministers strengthens regional cooperation for sustainable peace, security and prosperity in the Bay of Bengal region. Together we are moving towards a secure, strong and better-connected region.”
In the meeting, emphasis was laid on taking joint action against terrorism, terrorism funding, radicalization, drugs smuggling, human trafficking, cyber crime and organized crime.