During the recent summit held in New Delhi, leaders from the BIMSTEC member states officially adopted the Delhi Declaration. This diplomatic framework is designed to deepen integration among the seven member countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand—by streamlining economic and security protocols. A central pillar of the declaration is a renewed commitment to collective action against terrorism and transnational crime, which the member states identified as significant threats to regional stability.

The declaration outlines a roadmap for enhanced intelligence sharing and coordinated security operations across borders. While the document emphasizes economic connectivity and infrastructure development, the focus on security reflects a growing consensus among member nations that regional growth is dependent on maintaining internal and external stability. The adoption of this declaration marks a formal step toward institutionalizing security cooperation within the bloc, moving beyond previous informal arrangements. The summit concluded with leaders expressing a shared intent to implement the declaration’s provisions to foster a more secure and economically integrated Bay of Bengal region.