New Delhi, Oct 13: Under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, India hosted the first meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers in New Delhi today. The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of BIMSTEC member countries to strengthening regional security, trust, and cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region.
In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah said it was a matter of immense pride and privilege for India to host the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting. He said BIMSTEC had become an essential platform for regional integration, economic cooperation, and collective security. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India was moving forward with the spirit of ‘Vishwamitra’ and had always remained committed to peace, coexistence, and human welfare.
Amit Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok on April 4, 2025, “For us, BIMSTEC is not just a regional organization. It is a model for our inclusive development and security.” Shah said that, carrying this vision forward, it was the responsibility of Home Ministers to translate cooperation into practical mechanisms that strengthened the safety of citizens and the capabilities of agencies.
The Union Home Minister emphasized India’s policy of ‘Zero Tolerance’ towards terrorism and called for enhanced cooperation in combating terrorism, cross-border organized crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and emerging cyber threats. He stressed the importance of timely intelligence sharing, financial investigations, mutual legal assistance, and extradition to ensure that criminals and terrorists were brought to justice. He said the shared resolve should be to ensure that terrorist networks were not allowed to find safe havens, recruit members, provide training, raise funds, or carry out activities against neighbouring countries from any part of the region. Shah said that, in accordance with national laws and applicable treaties, cooperation in mutual legal assistance and extradition could strengthen efforts to bring criminals to justice.
The Home Minister highlighted five key areas of cooperation: drug control, counter-terrorism and legal cooperation, repatriation of fugitive criminals, cybersecurity and cybercrime investigations, and institutional cooperation and capacity building. He emphasized the need for a coordinated regional approach to combat illicit financial transactions and terror financing. He also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation among law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, and border management agencies.
Amit Shah said India believed that drug trafficking was essentially ‘death trafficking’. In this spirit, he reiterated that there was nothing ‘golden’ about the trafficking of narcotics. He said this was not merely the drug trade, but an attack on the lives of the country’s youth, society, culture, and future generations. The Union Home Minister said this could not be tackled by the efforts of a single country alone and called for a ‘Whole of Region’ approach. Shah said illicit proceeds from drugs provided financial power to organized crime and could also be used for terror financing. He said the diversion of precursor chemicals and transactions conducted via the dark web further complicated the challenge.
Amit Shah said cooperation in disaster management across the BIMSTEC region was one of his highest priorities. He recalled that, during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed the establishment of a “BIMSTEC Disaster Management Centre” in India. Shah expressed pleasure that the centre was planned to be established in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The initiative underscored India’s role as a ‘first responder’ in disaster management across the region. He urged member countries to actively participate in making the proposed centre operational.
Amit Shah said the security of one member state strengthened the security of the entire region. He said India was committed to enhancing trust, respect, and cooperation with all member states for a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Bay of Bengal region and to achieving concrete outcomes from the meeting.
The Union Home Minister led the Indian delegation at the meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers, while the Union Home Secretary led the meeting of senior officials. Delegations from all BIMSTEC member states—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand—participated in the meeting.