India & Canada agree to strengthen cooperation on national security, law enforcement & cybersecurity

India and Canada have agreed to formulate a shared work plan to guide cooperation on national security and law enforcement issues and to enable practical collaboration on respective priorities.

The decision was taken during a meeting between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin in Ottawa on Saturday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), yesterday, sharing details of the meeting, said that the two sides acknowledged the progress on initiatives aimed at supporting the safety and security of their countries and citizens.

The Ministry said that it was agreed that each country would establish security and law-enforcement liaison officers and that their respective agencies would build on working relationships. It added that this important step will help streamline bilateral communications and enable timely information sharing on issues of mutual concern to Canada and India such as the illegal flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl precursors, and transnational organised criminal networks.

The two sides also committed to formalising cooperation on cybersecurity policy and information sharing on cybersecurity issues, as well as continuing discussions on cooperation related to fraud and immigration enforcement, consistent with domestic laws and international obligations. National Security Adviser Doval also met with Canada’s Minister for Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, on Friday.