NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to the international community to “eliminate safe havens” of terrorists, criminals and the corrupt, stating that a safe and secure world is a shared responsibility of the global community. Speaking at the inaugural session of the 90th General Assembly of Interpol, the Prime Minister said that when the “forces of good cooperate, the forces of crime cannot operate.”
The PM warned the global community against the harmful globalised threats that the world faces — terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking, poaching and organised crime. “The pace of change of these dangers is faster than earlier. When threats are global, the response cannot be just local. It is high time that the world comes together to defeat these threats.”
The 90th General Assembly of Interpol has drawn a gathering of 195 member countries. It included a delegation from Pakistan led by its Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Mohsin Butt. Modi said India has been combating transnational terrorism for several decades.
“Long before the world woke up to it, we knew the price of safety and security. Thousands of our people made the ultimate sacrifice in this fight,” he added. Stating that there can be no safe havens for the corrupt, terrorists, drug cartels, poaching gangs or organised crime, the Prime Minister said, “Such crimes against people in one place are crimes against everyone, crimes against humanity. Further, these not only harm our present but also impact our future generations.”
Police and law enforcement agencies need to devise procedures and protocols to increase cooperation, he said, adding Interpol can help by speeding up Red Corner Notices for fugitive offenders. The Prime minister also released a commemorative postage stamp and a `100 coin to mark the 90th General Assembly. He was welcomed at the venue by Home Minister Amit Shah, Interpol President Ahmed Naser Al Raisi and Secretary General Jurgen Stock.
Modi said, “Establishment of early detection and warning systems, protecting transportation services, security for communication infrastructure, security for critical infrastructure, technical and technological assistance, intelligence exchange, many of these things need to be taken to a new level,” he said.