India and Italy have once again condemned terrorism in "all of its forms" and reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to a zero-tolerance, all-encompassing approach based on the rule of law to prevent and combat terrorism. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued an official statement confirming this shared stance.
On Friday, the fourth meeting of the India-Italy Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime was held at the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Officials from both countries met at this high-level meeting to share perspectives, assess domestic, regional, and global terrorist threats, and explore avenues for bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime, the statement said.
According to the statement, the Indian delegation was led by KD Dewal, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism at the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Italian delegation was led by Alessandro Azzoni, Deputy Director General for Political Affairs and Principal Director for Security at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They condemned terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations and shared their experiences combating it, including violent extremism, radicalization, cross-border terrorist movements, and terrorist financing, it added.
Both parties emphasised their support for a comprehensive approach to combating terrorism that is based on the rule of law. They emphasised the importance of effectively prosecuting those responsible for terrorist acts while categorically condemning state-sponsored terrorism, according to the statement. The delegations also discussed multilateral organisations such as the United Nations (UN), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).
They also stated their intention to move forward with negotiations on various bilateral agreements related to judicial and police cooperation. The meeting paved the way for future collaborative efforts, such as joint training and capacity-building initiatives.
In a related vein, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai reaffirmed India's unwavering commitment to combating and eliminating organised crime in all its forms. On September 29, Rai spoke at a two-day Ministerial Conference organised by the Government of Italy and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Secretariat, emphasising the importance of addressing organised crime, which poses a significant global threat. He emphasised that technological advancements have allowed organised criminal networks to rapidly expand, engaging in activities such as illicit arms trafficking, drug trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, corruption, money laundering, and international disbursement of crime proceeds.
Rai stated that organised crime has become a source of funding for terrorist organisations, and that these networks frequently have close ties with terrorist organisations. He expressed hope that the Ministerial Conference discussions would strengthen international cooperation efforts to combat organised crime. The next joint working group meeting is scheduled for 2024 in Rome, on a date mutually agreed upon by both nations.