New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday met his Nepalese and Bhutanese counterparts, Sudan Gurung and Lungten Dorji, on the sidelines of the first The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, reaffirming India’s commitment to deepen cooperation with both its South Asian neighbours.
“Delighted to meet Nepal’s Home Minister Sudhan Gurung, on the sidelines of the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi,” Home Minister Shah said on social media platform X.
“We reaffirmed our commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation and further strengthen the close ties between India and Nepal for peace, progress and prosperity in our region,” he added.
With Bhutan’s Home Minister, Home Minister Shah reaffirmed the shared commitment to further strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
“Great pleasure meeting Bhutan’s Home Minister Lungten Dorji, on the sidelines of the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi. We reaffirmed our shared commitment to further strengthen the close bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Bhutan, advancing our common aspirations for peace, progress and prosperity,” the Home Minister said in another post on X.
The meeting, chaired by Home Minister Shah, culminated in the adoption of the Delhi Declaration.
“Chaired the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi today, culminating in the adoption of the historic Delhi Declaration. Building on the vision of PM Narendra Modi Ji at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, the Home Ministers’ Meeting strengthens regional cooperation for lasting peace, security and prosperity across the Bay of Bengal. Together, we move towards a safer, stronger and better connected region,” Home Minister Shah said.
The meeting deliberated upon a framework for regional cooperation across five key areas: drug control; counter-terrorism and legal cooperation; repatriation of fugitives; cybersecurity and cybercrime investigation; and institutional cooperation and capacity building.
“Member States also made significant progress towards strengthening regional security by finalising key agreements on the BIMSTEC Convention on Combating Human Trafficking and the Action Plan for Drug Control. Finalising the draft of an MoU on capacity building to combat money laundering, illicit financial flows and terror financing further reinforces our collective commitment to a safer, more secure, resilient and prosperous BIMSTEC region,” the Home Minister said.
(IANS)
