KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 14 Home Minister Sudan Gurung met his Indian counterpart, Amit Shah, on the sidelines of the First Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Home Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi. During the meeting, the ministers discussed shared security concerns and reaffirmed their nations' resolve to deepen bilateral cooperation and strengthen existing ties. In a Facebook post following the interaction, Home Minister Gurung stated that both India and Nepal expressed a firm commitment to enhance mutual coordination on various security matters and emerging challenges. Writing on X, Indian Home Minister Shah echoed the sentiment, noting that they reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation to promote peace, progress and prosperity in the region. According to a press release from Minister Gurung's secretariat, Gurung also raised the technical hurdles faced by Nepali businesses in accessing the Indian market, particularly the issue of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification. The Indian home minister responded positively to these concerns. Meanwhile, the Embassy of Nepal in India stated on X that Home Minister Gurung expressed gratitude for India's timely assistance following the devastating Bhotekoshi flash floods and the recent landslides downstream. The embassy added that the bilateral discussion focused on strengthening security cooperation, border management, countering transnational crime and disaster preparedness. Minister Gurung emphasised advancing practical, mutually beneficial cooperation guided by sovereign equality, mutual respect and trust. Before returning to Kathmandu this evening, Minister Gurung also had a chance meeting with India's Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar, at the New Delhi airport. Writing on X, Minister Jaishankar expressed delight over meeting the Nepali home minister. Earlier at the BIMSTEC summit, Minister Gurung advocated for stronger regional security mechanisms and climate-induced disaster management. The ministerial conference concluded with the adoption of historic Delhi Declaration, marking a major milestone in the regional security framework under BIMSTEC. The member states reaffirmed their commitment to a connected, secure, resilient and prosperous region. They called for unified action against terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, transnational organised crime, cybercrime, money laundering, terrorist financing and arms smuggling. The declaration also emphasised enforcing existing BIMSTEC legal frameworks, expediting ratification and enactment of pending conventions, expanding real-time information-sharing, and enhancing partnerships with international bodies like UNODC, INTERPOL.