Home Minister Sudan Gurung Leaves for India to Attend First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting

Home Minister Sudan Gurung departed for New Delhi, India, on Monday to attend the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting, scheduled for October 13. He left Tribhuvan International Airport at 1:00 PM.

Gurung’s participation in the meeting marks an significant moment for Nepal as he represents the country in discussions on key regional security challenges, including terrorism, human trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering and drug trafficking.

He will also emphasize stronger regional cooperation to address climate-related disasters in the Himalayan region, strengthen early warning systems, and improve coordination for rescue and relief operations.

The meeting brings together Home Ministers responsible for internal security from all seven member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The meeting will also review and adopt documents discussed through various BIMSTEC security mechanisms, with a joint declaration expected at its conclusion.

The meeting follows the vision outlined at the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit held in Kathmandu in 2018. Discussions will also cover existing security cooperation mechanisms, with a joint declaration expected at the end of the meeting.

During the visit, Gurung is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest and ways to strengthen cooperation.