The 5th Meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs was held in New Delhi on 16 July 2026
New Delhi: India reinforced its commitment to strengthening regional security cooperation in the Bay of Bengal by hosting the 5th Meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs in New Delhi on July 16, where National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval welcomed National Security Advisers and Heads of Delegations from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The high-level meeting focused on practical and result-oriented measures to address terrorism, organised crime, maritime and cyber security, disaster management, energy security and other emerging regional challenges.
The meeting highlighted the growing strategic significance of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) as a bridge connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia, two of the world’s most dynamic and vibrant regions linked through the Indian Ocean.
Over the years, the regional grouping has steadily expanded cooperation across security, disaster management, transport and trade connectivity, technological collaboration and people-to-people exchanges.
The BIMSTEC Secretary General presented a comprehensive overview of progress achieved in the security sector and briefed member states on advancements across a broad range of areas under the organisation’s cooperation framework.
The National Security Advisers and Heads of Delegations held extensive deliberations on strengthening collective responses to both traditional and non-traditional security challenges confronting the region.
Discussions centred on practical cooperation to combat terrorism and transnational organised crime, while also addressing security in the cyber, maritime and energy domains, enhancing regional connectivity, improving disaster management mechanisms and responding effectively to new and emerging threats.
Amid growing concerns over cross-border extremism and evolving security risks, the participating NSAs explored concrete measures to improve intelligence cooperation, institutional coordination and capacity-building among member states.
Addressing the meeting, Ajit Doval underlined the need for closer regional cooperation at a time of increasing global uncertainty. “We are meeting today in the backdrop of a challenging global landscape. We are witnessing conflicts and geopolitical uncertainties. We are also facing multi-domain security threats, amplified by rapid technological advancements. Disruptions in global supply chains have also resulted in economic hardship for all our countries,” Doval said.
“In this setting, there’s an urgent need for us to collaborate, take decisive actions for our mutual benefit, and find solutions through mutual discussions and deliberations to the vexed problems that we are all facing,” he added.
Highlighting BIMSTEC’s strategic importance, Doval said the grouping serves as a crucial link between two of the world’s fastest-growing regions and has steadily strengthened collaboration across several critical sectors.
“We have advanced and strengthened cooperation in fighting terrorism, combating transnational organised crime, cyber threats, meeting maritime challenges, and we are poised to combat new and emerging threats together,” he said.
He further stressed that BIMSTEC’s long-standing goals of regional security, connectivity, capacity building and economic security should continue to drive the collective efforts of member states, while emphasising that countries must work together to safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity.
A major outcome of the meeting was the adoption of guidelines for the maritime component of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). The framework is expected to enable BIMSTEC member states to undertake coordinated relief operations more quickly and efficiently during natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies across the Bay of Bengal region.
The participating countries also endorsed a set of guiding principles governing interactions among maritime law enforcement agencies at sea. The principles are designed to improve predictability, enhance operational safety and strengthen coordination during maritime engagements among member states, thereby contributing to greater regional stability and confidence-building.
The discussions also reaffirmed the importance of improving regional connectivity, protecting maritime trade routes, strengthening cybersecurity cooperation and ensuring energy security, all of which are increasingly viewed as essential components of comprehensive regional security.
As BIMSTEC prepares to mark its 30th anniversary next year, the National Security Advisers and Heads of Delegations reiterated their collective resolve to deepen collaboration, expand knowledge-sharing and strengthen institutional capacities to address a rapidly evolving security environment.
They reaffirmed their commitment to building greater regional resilience against diverse security threats through enhanced cooperation, coordinated action and sustained dialogue. The meeting concluded with a renewed emphasis on practical partnerships that would reinforce peace, stability and prosperity across the Bay of Bengal region while positioning BIMSTEC as an increasingly important platform for regional security cooperation.
