KATHMANDU: Home Minister Sudan Gurung has left for India to attend the first BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Home Affairs, marking his first official foreign visit since assuming office.
Gurung departed for New Delhi from Tribhuvan International Airport at 1 pm on Monday. He is scheduled to address the ministerial meeting on Tuesday.
The meeting is being held for the first time in India, following the proposal for a high-level security mechanism made at the fourth BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu in 2018. Ministers responsible for internal security from BIMSTEC member states will attend the meeting.
Discussions will focus on strengthening cooperation on cross-border and regional security concerns, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, terrorist financing, terrorism, disaster-related security challenges and cybercrime.
The meeting is also expected to adopt documents discussed through various BIMSTEC security mechanisms and issue a joint declaration.
Nepal will prioritise regional cooperation to reduce the growing risk of natural disasters in the Himalayan region caused by climate change, strengthen early warning systems, and improve coordinated rescue and relief efforts.
Gurung, the youngest home minister among BIMSTEC member states, is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts during the visit.
He is scheduled to return to Nepal on Wednesday, October 14, after completing his three-day visit.