India, France hold 17th counter-terrorism talks in Paris

New Delhi, Sep 12: India and France held the 17th meeting of their Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter-Terrorism in Paris on Thursday.

The Indian side was led by K D Dewal, Joint Secretary (Counter-Terrorism) in the Ministry of External Affairs, while France was represented by Olivier Caron, the country’s Counter-Terrorism Ambassador.

During the meeting, both countries strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that claimed civilian lives.

The two delegations reviewed the latest terror threats in their regions, including state-sponsored cross-border terrorism, activities of extremist groups, and the evolving situation in the Middle East. They also discussed emerging challenges such as radicalisation, extremism, and the misuse of new technologies by terrorist organizations. Cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels was reviewed, with emphasis on strengthening capacity-building through training, exercises, and coordination in global forums like the UN, FATF, and the No Money for Terror initiative (NMFT).