Nepal Home Minister Sudan Gurung is scheduled to travel to New Delhi next week to participate in the inaugural BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting, marking his first overseas visit since assuming office.

According to officials familiar with the preparations, Gurung will depart Kathmandu on 12 October and attend the ministerial gathering on 13 October in the Indian capital.

The invitation was conveyed to Nepal through diplomatic channels last week, reflecting the growing importance being attached to regional security cooperation within the Bay of Bengal region.

The meeting will bring together Home Ministers from all seven BIMSTEC member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Significantly, this will be the first-ever meeting of Home Ministers from the grouping since BIMSTEC was established in 1997, underscoring the organisation's increasing focus on security and internal affairs cooperation alongside its traditional economic and technical agenda.

Nepali officials have indicated that Gurung is also expected to hold discussions with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the event, providing an opportunity to review bilateral security cooperation and issues of mutual interest.

The ministerial meeting traces its origins to decisions taken during the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu in 2018, when regional leaders agreed to institutionalise cooperation among interior and security agencies across member countries.

The summit had emphasised greater coordination between law-enforcement bodies, intelligence organisations and security institutions in response to evolving regional challenges.

Counter-terrorism collaboration and efforts to combat transnational crime are expected to remain central themes of the discussions, in line with previous BIMSTEC commitments.

Member states have also supported the continuation of meetings among national security chiefs to strengthen information-sharing mechanisms and improve collective responses to cross-border threats.

The New Delhi meeting is therefore expected to represent a significant step in advancing BIMSTEC's security architecture, while reinforcing cooperation among countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal on matters ranging from organised crime to regional stability.

For Nepal, the visit carries added diplomatic significance as Gurung embarks on his first foreign engagement as Home Minister while participating in a gathering designed to deepen security coordination among some of South Asia and Southeast Asia's most closely connected neighbours.

ANI