India and Italy reaffirmed their commitment to fight terrorism and organized crime at the fifth meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime (JWG). The meeting was co-chaired by senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MEA) from both countries on January 16 and 17 in Rome.
Discussions focused on emerging threats in the domestic, regional and international spheres, with emphasis on countering the misuse of technology by terrorist organizations. Both sides shared experiences, best practices and strategies to counter these challenges, and emphasized the importance of prosecuting those responsible for terrorist acts.
The meeting, which was also attended by India’s Foreign Ministry Joint Secretary (Counter-Terrorism) MK Dewal and Italy’s Foreign Ministry Political Undersecretary Alessandro Azzoni, also emphasized the need for close cooperation in multilateral forums such as the United Nations. The Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Progress on existing bilateral agreements was also reviewed, highlighting the deepening strategic partnership between the two countries. As part of the visit, the Indian delegation inspected the Inter-Ministerial Law Enforcement Academy in Caserta.
“The two countries also discussed ways and means to advance the ongoing negotiations on various bilateral agreements,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement.
The initiative aimed to explore avenues for capacity building and cooperation between Indian and Italian law enforcement agencies.
The dialogue ended with a mutual agreement to hold the next JWG meeting in New Delhi on a mutually convenient date.
