KATHMANDU — The Nepali Parliament on Sunday ratified a regional treaty on combating terrorism and controlling illicit drug trafficking under the framework of BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).
Krishna Bahadur Mahara, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced here that the regional treaty was endorsed by the Parliament unanimously.
The treaty, named “Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking”, aims to enhance cooperation between BIMSTEC member states to combat international terrorism, transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking, Nepali Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa said here during the parliament session on Sunday.
Nepal is currently the chair of the BIMSTEC. Established in 1997, BIMSTEC groups India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
In view of combating terrorism in the region, the BIMSTEC member countries had signed this regional treaty in December 2009 in Myanmar.
Nepal’s ratification to the regional treaty has come ahead of the fourth summit of the BIMSTEC which is going to be held on August 30 and 31 in Kathmandu.
Leaders from the BIMSTEC countries will be gathered in the Nepali capital for the BIMSTEC summit, according to officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal.
