India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have issued a strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, during the 13th ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crimes (SOMTC). The virtual meeting, held on June 17, was co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism) from India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and Nestor B Sanares, Under Secretary for Peace and Order from the Philippines' Department of the Interior and Local Government, representing ASEAN.
Condemnation of Specific Attacks
Both sides specifically denounced the terrorist attack that occurred on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the tragic loss of 26 lives. They also condemned the terror incident near the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 10, 2025. These attacks were highlighted as examples of the ongoing threat posed by terrorism.
Call for Enhanced International Cooperation
The two sides emphasized the urgent need to strengthen international cooperation to combat terrorism and transnational crimes in a comprehensive and sustained manner. The joint statement read: "Both sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They further condemned the heinous terrorist attack on 22 April 2025 in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India and the terror incident on 10 November 2025 near the Red Fort, New Delhi. Both sides emphasised the need to strengthen international cooperation to combat terrorism and transnational crimes in a comprehensive and sustained manner."
Areas of Cooperation Discussed
During the consultation, India and ASEAN explored ways to enhance collaboration in several critical areas, including terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, international economic crimes, and cybercrime. These discussions were conducted under the framework of the ASEAN-India Work Plan on combating Transnational Crimes. The MEA stated: "During the Consultation, both sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation inter alia, in the areas of terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, international economic crime and cyber crime under the framework of ASEAN - India Work Plan to combat Transnational Crimes."
Institutional Linkages and Capacity Building
Institutional linkages and capacity-building programmes between India and ASEAN were also discussed to further strengthen collaboration. The meeting concluded with the announcement that the 14th ASEAN-India SOMTC Consultation on Transnational Crimes will be held in Singapore in 2027.
