Inaugural dialogue of BIMSTEC Home Ministers will solidify security cooperation: MEA
New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Highlighting the outcomes of the inaugural BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday that member countries of the grouping have committed to enhancing cooperation in counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics and anti-money laundering, with the meeting also adopting the Delhi Declaration.
Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India expected the inaugural dialogue to strengthen security cooperation among BIMSTEC member countries, building on the several areas of collaboration identified during the meeting.
“It was the inaugural Home Ministers’ Dialogue of the BIMSTEC platform, hosted by the Honourable Home Minister of India. We had participation from all BIMSTEC countries. And following the meeting, a Delhi Declaration was also adopted, wherein the commitment of all BIMSTEC countries to strengthen cooperation across a range of areas, including the fight against terrorism, counter-narcotics measures and anti-money laundering cooperation..,” Jaiswal stated.
“Several areas have been identified, and it is our expectation that with this inaugural dialogue, there will be stronger security cooperation among all members. We had participation from Bangladesh, as well as from other members of the BIMSTEC group,” he added.
In his remarks at the BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ meeting on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated India’s zero-tolerance stance against terrorism, while also stressing the importance of mutual trust and cooperation among the BIMSTEC member states for the fight against terrorism and organised crime and for the security of the region.
“On behalf of the Republic of India, I will present to you India’s statement. Ministers and Special Representatives present at this first meeting, it is a matter of great pride and honour for India to host the first meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers. BIMSTEC has become an important platform for regional integration, economic cooperation, and collective security,” Home Minister Shah said.
Stressing that India is moving forward with the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, or ‘the world is one family’, he said that the country has “always been committed to peace, co-existence, and human welfare, and we remain committed to these principles even today”.
“India has never believed in attacking or dominating any country. India has always believed in respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and resolving differences through peaceful means,” he added.
BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a regional organisation comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
According to the organisation’s official website, BIMSTEC works to strengthen collaboration in areas such as agriculture and food security, the blue economy, connectivity, culture, disaster management, energy, environment and climate change, fiscal and monetary policy, health, human resource development, fisheries and livestock, and people-to-people relations, among other fields.
–IANS
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