`When forces of good cooperate, forces of crime can`t operate`: PM Modi at Interpol meet

Addressing the meeting which is being attended by delegations from 195 Interpol member countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that international cooperation is `a must` for a better world.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (October 18, 2022) addressed the 90th Interpol General Assembly and called for "forces of good" to cooperate to not let "forces of crime" operate. Addressing the meeting which is being attended by delegations from 195 Interpol member countries in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Modi said that corruption and financial crimes have harmed the welfare of citizens of several countries. He also said that international cooperation is a must for a better world.

"At a time when nations and societies are becoming inward-looking, India calls for more, not less, international cooperation," PM Modi said.

"Global cooperation for local welfare is our call," he told the Interpol General Assembly comprising Ministers, Police Chiefs of countries, Heads of National Central Bureaus and Senior police officers. 

The Prime Minister also said that when threats are global, the response cannot be just local.

"There can be no safe havens for corrupt, terrorists, drug cartels, poaching gangs, organised crime," he stated.

"A safe, secure world is our shared responsibility; when forces of good cooperate, forces of crime can't operate," Modi added.

The General Assembly is Interpol's supreme governing body and meets once a year to take key decisions related to its functioning.

The Interpol General Assembly meeting is taking place in India after a gap of about 25 years. It was last held in 1997. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Interpol President Ahmed Naser Al Raisi, Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock and CBI Director were also present on the occasion.