india

Updated: Sep 30, 2019 20:32 IST

An Indian delegation comprising officials of the home ministry, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will visit France during October 1-4 to boost cooperation in counter-terrorism.

The visit, part of the Indo-French strategic partnership and a bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation plan, will specifically deal with managing bio-terrorism threats, according to a statement from the French embassy on Monday.

During the visit, the Indian delegation will participate in bilateral meetings with the Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management (DGSCGC), Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP), and National Gendarmerie’s Armoured Division (GBGN).

On October 2-3, the Indian officials will attend an inter-ministerial exercise in the department of Yvelines, organised by the Paris Defence and Security Zone Prefecture, in liaison with the National Civil and Military Education and Training Centre for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) risks, which will actively involve several hundred personnel mainly from the intervention and rescue departments, the statement said.

The delegation will also have interactions, organised with the support of Business France, with French companies specialising in the production of materials and equipment useful for crisis management.

Welcoming the intensified exchanges in this area, the ambassador-designate of France, Emmanuel Lenain, said, “France and India work concertedly to combat terrorism in all its forms. This cooperation action illustrates the high degree of trust and cooperation between our police forces. It will encourage the exchange of best practices and the development of a network of practitioners capable of mobilising very swiftly against a threat that is itself very fast-evolving.”