India, France discuss ways to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation

India and France on Monday discussed ways of strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation in New Delhi. A statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that India and France discussed growing threat of terrorism and explored ways to combat it in the framework of 16th India-France Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism meeting held in New Delhi today. "Both sides exchanged views on the terrorist threats in their respective regions, including state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, besides terror activities in the Afghanistan and Pakistan region," the statement said. The meeting also deliberated upon counter terrorism challenges, including the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists, misuse of internet for terrorist purposes, radicalization and terror financing. Both the sides also assessed anti-India separatist activities, ways of countering terror financing, organized crime and narco-terror network. They emphasized the need for stronger c ounter-terrorism cooperation through exchange of information, capacity building, training programs and cooperation at the multilateral fora. Joint Secretary at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs K.D. Dewal headed the Indian side while Special Envoy for Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime Olivier Caron led the French delegation in the discussion. Source: Kuwait News Agency