Washington: India and the US have agreed to work closely to combat terrorism, apprehend wanted criminals and effectively deal with security threats confronting them.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is on a visit to the US, and Attorney General Eric Holder agreed that the Home Ministry and the US Department of Justice should work together institutionally to address pending issues relating to extradition, execution of Letters Rogatory and Red Corner Notices.
They also agreed to cooperate in the areas such as law enforcement, counter terrorism and judicial processes.
New Delhi and Washington also recognised the compelling reasons for closer cooperation between India and the US based on the larger strategic objective underlined by President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the former`s visit to India in November 2010.
During the second Homeland Security Dialogue, Shinde and US Secretary for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano emphasised that cooperation between New Delhi and Washington in internal security was a key pillar of the India-US global strategic partnership.
"They also recognised that such cooperation was imperative, in view of commonality of the threats that confront the two countries," an official statement said.
The Home Minister and his American counterpart welcomed progress made over the recent past in developing practical steps to enhance the security of the citizens and to prevent the misuse of increasingly-interconnected global financial, transportation and communication systems.
Both the countries agreed to enhance cooperation in capacity building programmes and to identify technologies and equipment useful for Indian law enforcement agencies which they can source from the US.
During the dialogue, the two leaders received reports from the six sub-groups that constitute the Homeland Security Dialogue and welcomed progress being achieved in substantive terms.
PTI
