BIMSTEC adopts Delhi Declaration to counter terrorism and drug trafficking

India hosted the first-ever meeting of Home Ministers from BIMSTEC countries in New Delhi on October 13, 2026. The regional bloc adopted the Delhi Declaration to counter radicalisation, prevent the misuse of new technologies for terrorism, and tackle terror recruitment.

Member Nations

The declaration was signed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Bangladesh was represented by Manzur Morshed Chowdhury, Senior Secretary in its Home Ministry, instead of its Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.

Key Focus Areas

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah highlighted five key areas of cooperation: drug control, counter-terrorism and legal cooperation, repatriation of fugitive criminals, cyber-security, and institutional capacity building. He called for a regional approach to stop terror financing and illicit financial transactions, noting that criminals use encrypted communication, drones, cryptocurrency and the dark web.

Context

BIMSTEC is an international organisation focused on technical and economic cooperation among countries in the Bay of Bengal region. Regional groupings like this often use joint declarations to build consensus on shared security challenges such as cross-border crime and counter-terrorism.