India, Uzbekistan Reaffirm Commitment to Strengthen Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

India, Uzbekistan Reaffirm Commitment to Strengthen Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

India and Uzbekistan have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism, following the 10th meeting of the India-Uzbekistan Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism held in New Delhi on October 22.

Secretary (West) Sibi George met Pirimkulov Gulomjon Shodmonkulovich, Head of the Department for Cooperation with South Asian, Near, Middle Eastern and African Countries in Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Saturday to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation and other issues of mutual interest.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared the details of the meeting in a post on X, stating that both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation.

The 10th meeting of the Joint Working Group was co-chaired by Suhel Ajaz Khan, Additional Secretary (Counter Terrorism) in the Ministry of External Affairs, and Pirimkulov Gulomjon Shodmonkulovich.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed terrorist threats at the global and regional levels and exchanged views on emerging counter-terrorism challenges. These included tackling extremism and radicalisation, combating the financing of terrorism, preventing the misuse of technology for terrorist activities, and addressing links between transnational organised crime and terrorism.

Both delegations agreed to enhance cooperation in addressing threats to national and regional security. They also discussed strengthening bilateral efforts through information sharing, capacity building and the exchange of best practices, along with greater coordination among relevant agencies.

India and Uzbekistan further reaffirmed their commitment to working together in multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) and the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG).

The next meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism will be held in Uzbekistan on a mutually convenient date, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.