External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Nepal’s Home Minister Sudhan Gurung in New Delhi. Gurung was in India for the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting, where he also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss bilateral cooperation.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met with Nepali Home Minister Sudhan Gurung in New Delhi. Highlighting their meeting, EAM Jaishankar wrote in a post on X, “Nice to meet Home Minister Sudhan Gurung of Nepal.” https://x.com/drsjaishankar/status/2110321388418740660?s=48
The Nepali Home Minister departed for Kathmandu following the interaction with Jaishankar at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Gurung arrived in India to attend the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday. Noting the meeting of the two ministers, the Nepal Embassy in India wrote in a post on X, “Hon. Home Minister Sudhan Gurung departed New Delhi for Kathmandu today, concluding his visit to attend the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting held on 13 October 2026. Before his departure, Hon. Minister Gurung also had a brief interaction with Hon. Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India, at Indira Gandhi International Airport. He was seen off by CdA Dr. Surendra Thapa, Embassy officials and representatives of the Government of India.”
India-Nepal Bilateral Cooperation
Earlier on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met his counterpart from Nepal, Sudhan Gurung, on the sidelines of the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, reaffirming the commitment of both countries to deepen bilateral cooperation and strengthen their ties. In a post on X, Amit Shah said, “Delighted to meet Nepal’s Home Minister, H.E. Sudhan Gurung, on the sidelines of the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi. 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.”
Highlighting their discussion, the Nepal Embassy in India said in a post on X that HM Gurung expressed gratitude towards India’s timely assistance following the flash floods that ravaged Kathmandu in August. “Home Minister Sudhan Gurung met with Amit Shah, Union Home Minister of India, on the sidelines of the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi today. The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral security cooperation, coordination on border management, combating transnational crime, and enhancing disaster preparedness and response. Hon. Minister Gurung expressed appreciation for India’s timely assistance following the recent floods and landslides in Nepal and emphasised advancing practical cooperation for the mutual benefit of both peoples, guided by sovereign equality, mutual respect and trust,” the Embassy said.
BIMSTEC Adopts Joint Declaration on Security
This comes after Home Ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation member countries adopted a comprehensive joint declaration prioritising robust, coordinated measures against evolving regional security threats, following the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the joint declaration “emphasised combating cross-border terrorism, terror financing, radicalisation, drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, and organised crime.” The ministry stated that the framework “prioritised information sharing, mutual legal assistance, extradition, capacity building, and the effective implementation of existing agreements and plans of action,” while placing special stress on “the protection of victims of human trafficking involved in online scams.
Key Agreements Approved
To strengthen the regional security framework, Home Ministers of the BIMSTEC member states formally approved five key agreements and action plans during the meeting. The BIMSTEC Convention against Trafficking in Persons was approved to enhance regional cooperation among member states in preventing human trafficking, criminalising the offence, and ensuring the protection and rehabilitation of victims.
The BIMSTEC Plan of Action on Drug Control was adopted to combat the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursor chemicals across borders. Ministers approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Capacity Building among BIMSTEC Countries to Combat Money Laundering and Terror Financing. This agreement provides for the training of experts, the exchange of best practices, and extensive cooperation across financial crimes, financial intelligence, investigations, asset recovery, anti-money laundering measures, countering the financing of terrorism, and countering proliferation financing. (ANI)
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