India and Germany held the 10th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism (JWG-CT) in New Delhi, marking a renewed commitment to tackling terrorism and related security challenges.
The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Konrad Arz von Straussenburg, Director for International Order, United Nations, and Arms Control of Germany.
During the discussions, both sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border attacks, with particular reference to the Pahalgam attack in Jammu & Kashmir in April 2025 and the Red Fort incident in New Delhi in November 2025. They exchanged insights on threat assessments at national and regional levels and discussed emerging challenges, including online radicalisation, misuse of new technologies, countering the financing of terrorism, judicial cooperation, and the designation of terrorists and terrorist entities. Plans were also made to hold the next JWG-CT meeting in Germany next year.
The meeting reaffirmed the importance of multilateral engagement, including cooperation through the United Nations, the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the No Money for Terror Ministerial Conference. Both countries explored avenues for deeper bilateral collaboration and capacity building to address evolving threats.
This session follows India’s participation in the 15th EU-India Counter Terrorism Working Group meeting in Brussels on 9 September 2025, where India and the European Union discussed the global nature of terrorism and shared experiences on preventing online radicalisation, countering terror financing, monitoring the misuse of emerging technologies, and maintaining updated lists of designated terrorists and organisations. The EU also expressed condolences for the Pahalgam attack and stressed the importance of sustained international cooperation to combat terrorism.
The Germany and EU meetings highlight India’s continued efforts to strengthen partnerships and exchange best practices on counter-terrorism, setting the stage for enhanced cooperation during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s scheduled visit to India in early 2026.
