India and Italy on 7 October 2026 condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and held structured discussions on deepening bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, including measures to combat the financing of terror networks. The talks took place during the 6th meeting of the India-Italy Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism in New Delhi.

Key Developments

The meeting was co-chaired by Sibi George, Secretary (West) at India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and Paolo Mari, Director for G7-G20, Transnational Threats and Integrated Strategy at Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Mari was on an official visit to New Delhi specifically for the occasion.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared details of the meeting on X, stating: 'Secretary (West) Sibi George received Mr. Paolo Mari, Director for G7-G20, Transnational Threats and Integrated Strategy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy who is on a visit to co-chair the 6th meeting of India-Italy Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism in New Delhi.'

Jaiswal added that the two sides 'condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, discussed measures to strengthen counter terrorism cooperation between the two countries and furthering the Joint Initiative on Countering Financing of Terrorism.'

Background: Modi-Meloni Summit and the Pahalgam Attack

Wednesday's working-level meeting builds on high-level political commitments made when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Italy in May 2026 and held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The India-Italy Joint Declaration released at the time strongly condemned the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and reaffirmed both nations' commitment to cooperate against terrorist groups and their affiliates, including those listed under the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions regime.

The declaration also called on all countries to work towards eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terror networks, and combating terror financing in line with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to joint action at the UN, FATF, and other multilateral platforms.

Counter-Terror Financing in Focus

A notable thread running through both the May summit and Wednesday's meeting is the focus on countering the financing of terrorism. The Modi-Meloni summit had welcomed the first meeting of the Permanent Task Force between India and Italy on countering the financing of terrorism — and Wednesday's JWG session explicitly carried that agenda forward. This signals a move beyond broad condemnations toward operational and financial intelligence cooperation.

Defence Cooperation Also Deepening

Separately, the two countries have been expanding defence ties, with the Modi-Meloni summit producing a Joint Declaration of Intent and a Defence Industrial Roadmap covering co-production and co-development in helicopters, naval platforms, marine armament, and electronic warfare. While defence cooperation was not the focus of Wednesday's meeting, it forms part of the same strategic thickening of bilateral ties between India and Italy.

The next steps from the JWG meeting are expected to feed into India's broader multilateral counter-terrorism engagement at forums including the UN and FATF, where New Delhi has been increasingly assertive in pushing for accountability against state-sponsored terror networks.