India will host the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, bringing together representatives of seven South and Southeast Asian countries to strengthen regional cooperation against terrorism, transnational organised crime, narcotics trafficking, radicalisation, illicit financial flows and emerging cyber threats.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday welcomed the participating delegations, describing the meeting as a significant step towards building a stronger regional security framework under the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
"India is honoured to host the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on 13 October 2026. I extend a warm welcome to the Hon'ble Home Ministers and member state delegations," Shah said in a post on X.
The meeting is expected to provide a platform for participating countries to discuss common internal security challenges and explore mechanisms for closer coordination among their law enforcement and security agencies.
๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐
Shah said the inaugural gathering reflected the shared determination of BIMSTEC countries to address security threats that increasingly extend beyond national boundaries.
"The historic meeting underscores the shared resolve of the BIMSTEC to combat terrorism, transnational organised crime, narcotics radicalisation, trafficking, illicit financial flows, and cyber threats," he said.
"Through decisive coordination, we remain committed to building a safer, stronger, and more secure BIMSTEC region," the home minister added.
The discussions will cover a range of interconnected security challenges, including organised criminal networks, cross-border trafficking, illegal financial transactions and cyber-related threats.
The meeting comes as regional cooperation assumes growing importance in addressing crimes that involve multiple jurisdictions and require coordinated responses from national authorities.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
BIMSTEC comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, bringing together countries from South and Southeast Asia with shared interests in the Bay of Bengal region.
The grouping was established to promote economic, technical and sectoral cooperation among its members, with regional security emerging as an important area of collaboration.
The inaugural Home Ministers' Meeting marks a step towards strengthening institutional engagement on internal security matters.
The gathering will allow member countries to exchange views on common threats and discuss ways to improve cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism, combating organised crime and addressing the misuse of digital and financial networks.
๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ฝ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will not attend the two-day meeting, with the country instead being represented by a delegation led by Home Affairs Senior Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury.
The delegation will participate in the discussions on behalf of Bangladesh, which is one of the seven members of the regional grouping.
The meeting will provide an opportunity for member states to address shared security concerns while strengthening cooperation among their respective home ministries and law enforcement establishments.
๐ก๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ธ๐
Nepal Home Minister Sudhan Gurung said his country would use the meeting to highlight the growing risks posed by climate change-induced natural disasters in the Himalayan region.
Speaking to reporters before departing for New Delhi, Gurung said Nepal intended to raise issues concerning disaster risk reduction, stronger early warning systems and regional cooperation in rescue and relief operations.
The Himalayan region faces recurring threats from floods, landslides and other natural disasters, making coordination among neighbouring countries important for preparedness and emergency response.
Nepal's proposed agenda will broaden the discussions beyond conventional internal security challenges to include disaster management and humanitarian cooperation.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting is expected to strengthen dialogue among member countries on challenges that cannot be effectively addressed through domestic measures alone.
Terrorism, organised crime, trafficking and cyber threats frequently involve networks operating across international borders, making information-sharing and cooperation between national agencies important components of regional security.
The meeting will also offer participating countries an opportunity to identify areas for closer collaboration while taking into account their respective security priorities.
With India hosting the inaugural gathering, the discussions will mark an expansion of BIMSTEC's institutional engagement on internal security and reinforce the grouping's broader objective of promoting cooperation among countries in the Bay of Bengal region.