India, other BIMSTEC countries deliberate on counter-terror measures

India and other member nations of the BIMSTEC grouping on Thursday explored ways to cooperate in dealing with various security challenges, including threat of terrorism.

Besides India, the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the meeting, held in Delhi, discussed traditional and emerging non-traditional security threats in the BIMSTEC region.

"The participants deliberated and made recommendations on wide ranging issues to enhance cooperation and collaboration in countering terrorism and transnational crimes in the region," it said in a statement.

The MEA said the delegates also deliberated on different aspects of implementation of the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking, which entered into force on March 16, 2021.

India is the lead country for the security pillar under the BIMSTEC framework.

Under the security pillar, the mechanism of BIMSTEC joint working group on counter-terrorism and transnational crime oversees the work of six sub-groups.

The sub-groups are on intelligence sharing, legal and law enforcement, countering radicalisation and terrorism, anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, human trafficking and checking narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The inaugural session of the meeting was addressed by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the MEA.

He emphasised the need for collective efforts in countering the menace of terrorism and transnational crimes through enhanced cooperation in the fields of capacity building, information exchange, extradition and legal assistance.