The two-day meeting of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group, held virtually between senior counter-terrorism officials of the member states, concluded on Thursday. Mahaveer Singhvi, the Indian Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism in the Ministry of External Affairs, chaired the meeting.
According to a press release by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the key outcome of the meeting was the finalisation of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan, which comprises specific measures in promoting the Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the leaders in 2020. It is one of the “key deliverables” during India’s chairship of the BRICS and will be adopted during the National Security Advisers’ meeting next month.
The statement read: “The Action Plan aims 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.” The officials also condemned terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations” and conducted a “terrorism threat assessment at national, regional, and global level.”
In the run-up to the Working Group’s meeting, the BRICS Sub-Working Groups met to discuss five subjects, including “misuse of the internet for a terrorist purpose, deradicalisation, countering terrorist financing, capacity building, and countering foreign terrorist fighters.”
During his address at the 12th BRICS Summit held in November 2020, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the need to collaborate to counter growing terrorism and claimed that it was one of the biggest global challenges facing the international community. He said, “We have to ensure that terrorists and those who support and sponsor terrorists should be held guilty, and this problem is addressed in a collective manner.” He also lauded the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Over the years, BRICS, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has enhanced cooperation in counterterrorism, cybersecurity, healthcare, and disaster management. It is a crucial grouping that accounts for over 40% of the global population and 25$ of global GDP. It is the third time India is holding the chairship of the grouping and it has vowed to use its position to bring technological and digital solutions to the issues faced by members.
BRICS Finalises Counter-Terrorism Plan in Working Group Meeting
With India as the chair, the BRICS held a virtual meeting of its counter-terrorism working group and finalised an action plan for adoption next month.
August 2, 2021
SOURCE: DNA INDIA