India chairs sixth meeting of BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group

The sixth meeting of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) was held virtually on 28-29 July under the Chairship of India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs chaired the sixth meeting of the BRICS CTWG. Meanwhile, Senior counter-terrorism officials from all BRICS countries participated in the meeting.

The main outcome of the Working Group meeting was the finalisation of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan containing specific measures to implement the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by BRICS Leaders in 2020.

"The Action Plan is aimed at further strengthening result-oriented cooperation between BRICS countries in areas such as preventing and combating terrorism, radicalisation, financing of terrorism, misuse of the internet by terrorists, curbing travel of terrorists, border control, protection of soft targets, information sharing, capacity building, international and regional cooperation etc," MEA said in a statement.

The BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan is one of the key deliverables during India's Chairship of BRICS and will be adopted at the meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors scheduled next month.

During the Working Group meeting, while condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed, the BRICS countries also exchanged views on terrorism threat assessment at national, regional and global level and resolved to further enhance counter-terrorism cooperation in line with the Action Plan.

The BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group meeting was preceded by virtual meetings of the five thematic sub-working groups on Misuse of Internet for Terrorist Purpose, Deradicalization, Countering Terrorist Financing, Capacity Building and Countering Foreign Terrorist Fighters on 26-27 July 2021, the statement added.

( With inputs from ANI )