The European Union and India held their 15th Meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism in Brussels yesterday. The Dialogue was co-chaired by Director for Security and Defence Policy in the European External Action Service, Maciej Stadejek and Joint Secretary (Counter-terrorism) in the External Affairs Ministry, KD Dewal. 

 

 

External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that both sides condemned the Pahalgam terror attack on 22nd April. The EU reiterated its condolences to India on the loss of lives of innocent civilians. The two sides reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They agreed that terrorism is a global phenomenon and needs concerted action in a sustained and comprehensive manner. Against this backdrop, the EU and India stressed the importance of cooperation in multilateral fora, such as the United Nations, the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and the FATF.

 

The dialogue facilitated a comprehensive exchange on domestic, regional, and global threat assessments. The participants emphasised that instability and conflicts in various regions of the world act as catalysts for terrorism and violent extremism.

 

The EU and India also shared updates on the key developments of their respective counter-terrorism policies and discussed important topics in the fight against terrorism. These include measures to counter the financing of terrorism, prevent online radicalisation, continued exchange on the designation of terrorists and terrorist entities and address the implications of emerging technologies.