External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlights India’s role in combating synthetic drug threats

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New York, September 25: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted India’s role as co-chair of Working Group 1 in global efforts to combat the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs.

He was addressing the Summit for the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats on Tuesday, September 24.

Taking to social media platform X, Jaishankar stated that India had faced a lot of challenges due to the nexus between terrorist organizations, narco-trafficking and cross-border rackets.”India’s role as co-chair of Working Group 1, focused on preventing the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, showcases our proactive stance. India has long been affected by the nexus between terrorist groups and narco-trafficking. Cross-border rackets smuggle drugs into our territory, with proceeds supporting terrorism,” he said.

To bolster its efforts in enhancing cooperation in combating drug-related issues, the Foreign Minister said that India had signed 45 bilateral agreements and had established a regulatory framework for 27 precursor chemicals.

He also reiterated the India-US partnership has deepened in recent years on this issue and said that the recent conclusion of the bilateral Drug Framework and Memorandum of Understanding in Wilmington was a significant step in collaborative efforts between both countries.

“The deepening partnership between India and the United States must be recognised. Our Counter Narcotics Working Group has met four times, and the conclusion recently of the bilateral Drug Framework and MoU at Wilmington is a notable step,” Jaishankar said.
He further called for increased operational cooperation, intelligence sharing and enhanced law enforcement collaboration among nations to effectively address the synthetic drug trade.

Jaishankar was joined by US President Joe Biden and US State Secretary Antony Bilken at the summit on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Following his address, Jaishankar held bilateral talks with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and discussed on bilateral cooperation as well as on Ukraine and West Asia.
He also met Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda as well as EU Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra.