India-U.K Joint Working Group on International Terrorism and Drug Trafficking

Joint Press Statement Made India-UK Joint Working Group on International Terrorism and Drug Trafficking and Second round of discussions related to Disarmament & Non-prolifeartion

Indian and British officials participated in the first meeting of the India-U.K Joint Working Group on International Terrorism and Drug Trafficking in New Delhi on 22 January 2001. Ms Bhaswati Mukherjee, Joint Secretary (West Europe) in the Ministry of External Affairs and Mr. William Ehrman, Director, International Security, from British Foreign Office led the respective delegations. The Joint Working Group has been set up in accordance with a decision taken by the Home Ministers of India and U.K. to address our shared concerns on international terrorism and its inter-linkages with drug trafficking. Although there have been very useful bilateral exchanges in these areas for many years, the setting up of the Joint Working Group would provide an institutional framework for such cooperation. The extensive and useful discussions held by the JWG, indicates the growing convergence of our views on these issues.

On 23 January 2001, Mr. Ehrman and Dr. Sheel Kant Sharma, Joint Secretary (D&ISA) in the Ministry of External Affairs, held the second round of India-UK discussions on issues related to disarmament and non-proliferation.. The first round of an institutionalized official level dialogue on these issues was held in July 2000, in accordance with a decision taken by the two Foreign Ministers in April 2000 during Mr. Cook's visit to India. Both sides appreciated the opportunity for a productive exchange of views on the full range of issues on the disarmament agenda and underlined the value of continued dialogue. New Delhi January 23, 2001.

New Delhi
January 23, 2001