New Delhi, Aug 13 (UNI) India and Australia held the 14th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in New Delhi on Monday, during which the two strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
The Indian delegation of experts was led by K.D. Dewal, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism at the Ministry of External Affairs of India, while Richard Feakes, Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, led the Australian side, to discuss the global counter terrorism challenges and the ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries.
India and Australia strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasized the need for strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner. They also condemned the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, a statement said.
The two sides exchanged views on the domestic, regional and global terrorism threat assessment. They discussed counter-terrorism challenges related to the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists, misuse of internet for terrorist purposes, radicalisation and terror financing, and the nexus between organised crime and terrorism, among other issues. Both sides also discussed cooperation in regional, global and multilateral fora such as UN, GCTF, FATF, ARF, IORA and with QUAD partners to combat global terrorism.
The ongoing co-operation in counter terrorism is an important element of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The two sides agreed to hold the 15th Meeting of JWG on Counter Terrorism in Canberra on a mutually convenient date, the statement added.
