Nepal’s Home Minister Sudhan Gurung met India’s Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on 13 October, on the sidelines of the first BIMSTEC home ministers’ meeting. According to Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs, they discussed closer coordination on shared security concerns. BIMSTEC is a seven-nation Bay of Bengal grouping.
The talks matter because they touch security issues on the border the two countries share, and because Nepal also raised a trade problem.
What the two ministers discussed
Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs said the two ministers discussed strengthening coordination and cooperation on the security concerns both countries share. A statement from Nepal’s embassy in India,said the talks focused on bilateral security cooperation, coordination on border management, combating transnational crime, and better disaster preparedness and response. Transnational crime means crime that crosses borders.
In a social media post, Shah said both sides had renewed their pledge to widen cooperation and keep ties close.Gurung also thanked India for its help after recent floods in Kathmandu.
The BIS certification issue
Gurung raised technical problems that Nepali industrialists and businesspeople face when they try to sell in India, according to Nepal’s home ministry. He named BIS certification in particular. The ministry said India’s home minister responded positively to Nepal’s concern.
BIS stands for the Bureau of Indian Standards, India’s national standards body.Its certification is generally required before many products can be sold in India.
What the BIMSTEC meeting adopted
BIMSTEC has seven members: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Its home ministers met for the first time in New Delhi on 13 October and adopted the Delhi Declaration.
An Indian government release outlines regional priorities: sharing information, mutual legal assistance, extradition, capacity-building and carrying out existing agreements. Mutual legal assistance means countries help each other with criminal cases. Extradition means sending a suspect to another country to face charges.
The declaration calls for a united stand against cross-border terrorism, cybercrime and human trafficking. Shah told the meeting that India is committed to cooperating on, and effectively carrying out, the BIMSTEC Convention against terrorism, organised crime and illegal drug trafficking. India’s ministry also said the meeting stressed cooperation on disaster management, including a proposed BIMSTEC Centre for Disaster Management in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
India will also share police-training and counterterrorism expertise with other members. India’s ministry called the outcome a major milestone for stability around the Bay of Bengal and an important step towards a safer, more prosperous region.
Background
The BIMSTEC home ministers’ meeting was the first of its kind, according to reports. BIMSTEC stands for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. Gurung left Kathmandu for New Delhi on Monday 12 October and was due back on Wednesday 14 October, according to reports. India’s home ministry issued a release in August 2026 on an earlier Joint Working Group.
