Kathmandu, Oct 6 (IANS): Nepal’s Home Minister Sudan Gurung is scheduled to visit India next week to participate in the first meeting of the home ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), scheduled for October 13, a senior official has said.
It will be Gurung’s first foreign trip since he assumed office following the formation of the government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah on March 27.
The meeting will bring together home ministers from the seven-member regional grouping — Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
“Home Minister Gurung is scheduled to travel to New Delhi on October 12 to participate in the first meeting of the BIMSTEC Home Ministers,” said Ananda Kafle, spokesperson for the Home Ministry.
The meeting is expected to cover a range of cross-cutting security issues, including cross-border crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking among member states, Kafle said.
He, however, said the minister’s detailed itinerary, including possible meetings with Indian leaders, has yet to be finalised.
Gurung is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the event, including Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, according to Nepali officials. “There can also be a meeting with the Nepali diaspora in India,” he said.
Gurung’s visit comes as BIMSTEC members seek to strengthen regional cooperation on security matters and build on discussions among senior security and home officials of the member states.
Security cooperation has been an important component of BIMSTEC’s regional agenda. The security sector comprises three sub-sectors, namely counterterrorism and transnational crime, energy, and disaster management, according to the BIMSTEC website.
At the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 30-31, 2018, BIMSTEC leaders expressed their determination to strengthen cooperation and coordination among law enforcement, intelligence and security agencies and decided to hold meetings at the level of BIMSTEC home ministers.
They also decided to continue the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs’ meetings as part of efforts to promote cooperation and coordination on counterterrorism and transnational crime.
According to Kafle, the ministerial gathering will be preceded by a meeting of BIMSTEC home secretaries to prepare agreements to be declared following the ministerial meeting.
In July this year, the 5th Meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs was held in New Delhi, where the National Security Advisers and heads of delegations exchanged views on various measures to combat terrorism and organised crime; ensure security in the cyber, maritime and energy domains; enhance connectivity; facilitate efficient disaster management; and tackle new and emerging security threats.
The meeting adopted the BIMSTEC Guidelines for the Maritime Component of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. The guidelines will help BIMSTEC member states undertake relief operations in the region in an expeditious manner.
They also endorsed a set of Guiding Principles on the Conduct of Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies during Interactions at Sea. These principles are expected to provide reference points for increasing predictability and promoting safety during maritime engagements among member states.
