First Post‑1997 BIMSTEC Ministers Meeting on Counter‑Terrorism

The BIMSTEC home ministers' conference in New Delhi is the inaugural meeting of its kind since the regional group was created in 1997. The agenda places a strong emphasis on counter‑terrorism and the fight against trans‑national criminal networks.

Leaders from the seven member states—India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand—will exchange views on strengthening coordination among police, intelligence and security agencies. The talks will build on recommendations made by BIMSTEC home secretaries and national security advisers in earlier sessions.

Participants expect to adopt joint frameworks that enable rapid sharing of threat intelligence and joint operational responses, thereby enhancing overall regional stability.

The summit also revisits commitments made during the fourth BIMSTEC summit in Kathmandu in August 2018, where heads of state reinforced their resolve to improve law‑enforcement collaboration across the Bay of Bengal region.