New Delhi, September 29 (Daily Kiran) : The 11th meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (JWGC-TT) concluded on September 29, 2026, in New Delhi, hosted by the Government of India. Delegates from all BIMSTEC member countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand—participated in this critical gathering.
Dr. Suhail Ejaz Khan, Additional Secretary in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, chaired the meeting. Participants engaged in intensive discussions about both traditional and emerging non-traditional security threats in the BIMSTEC region. The focus was on enhancing cooperation and coordination among member states to combat terrorism and transnational crime.
The meeting included detailed discussions on reports from various sub-groups established under the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group. Topics covered included human trafficking, drug smuggling, psychotropic substances, precursor chemicals, money laundering, and measures against terrorist financing. The sessions also addressed legal and law enforcement issues, along with strategies for combating radicalization and terrorism.
BIMSTEC, which stands for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a regional organization comprising seven countries bordering the Bay of Bengal. It was established on June 6, 1997, through the Bangkok Declaration, with its headquarters located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Initially known as BIST-EC, it included Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
For India, BIMSTEC serves as a significant strategic platform to support its Act East Policy. According to the Indian Science and Technology Innovation Portal, each member nation takes charge of specific sectors within BIMSTEC, with India leading efforts in security, counter-terrorism operations, disaster management, and energy.
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