Sanjay Verma, the Secretary (West) of the Ministry of External Affairs of India has paid a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.

The meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

The meeting saw FM Shahid shedding light on the significance of enhancing joint efforts to address common security challenges to ensure peace and stability in the Maldives and India as well as the Indian Ocean Region.

Secretary Verma and FM Shahid went on to touch upon the second meeting of the joint working group on counterterrorism countering violent extremism and de-radicalization held between the two governments on Tuesday.

As such, Secretary Verma and FM Shahid reviewed the important initiatives undertaken by both countries towards this end.

Discussions also touched upon further avenues to consolidate the ties Maldives and India enjoy in this area both bilaterally and in the multilateral arena.

Secretary Verma visited the Maldives to co-chair the second meeting of India-Maldives joint working group on counterterrorism, countering violent extremism and de-radicalization.

During the second meeting of India-Maldives joint working group on counterterrorism, countering violent extremism and de-radicalization, both countries reaffirmed that counterterrorism cooperation is a significant aspect of maintaining security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

During the meeting, both governments strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism and shed light on the need for strengthened international cooperation in the battle against terrorism, in a comprehensive and sustained manner.