Inaugural Meeting of the U.S.-India Drug Policy Executive Working Group

From January 20-21, the United States hosted the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-India Drug Policy Executive Working Group in Washington, D.C. The Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Director, Sara Carter, opened the meeting by emphasizing President Trump and Prime Minister Modi's mutual commitment to strengthening security cooperation and eradicating narco-terrorism. Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, Ambassador of India to the United States of America, stated that India accorded the highest priority to addressing the threat posed by narcotics trafficking and the diversion of precursor chemicals, while also balancing effective enforcement with facilitation of legitimate trade. The Executive Working Group, led by ONDCP's Acting Deputy Director, Debbie Seguin, and the Narcotics Control Bureau's Deputy Director General, Monika Ashish Batra, worked with the U.S. and Indian delegations, respectively, to deliver tangible, measurable outcomes in advancing the critical counter narcotics partnership...