Global cooperation is a necessity to tackle terrorism: NIA chief

Global cooperation is a necessity to tackle terrorism and radicalisation and the nations should share their experiences in tackling the global menace, Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA) Yogesh Chander Modi said on Wednesday.

The statement in this regard was made during the second 'European Union- India Regional Workshop on Counter-Terrorism'.

The two-day workshop concluded on Wednesday and saw the participation of representatives of the NIA and the European Union. Representatives from several state police forces like Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and national agencies, the National Security Guard (NSG), also participated in the workshop. Europol (the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) Law enforcement agencies from France and Spain represented Europe in the workshop.

The workshop was part of the EU and India's efforts to further strengthen collaboration between both sides to counter-terrorism and radicalisation, following the mandate which was agreed at the 2017 India-EU summit.

During the workshop, the participants shared their experiences and best practices to combat this new challenge by law enforcement agencies with a focus on countering online propaganda. Participants also deliberated on methods adopted by terror outfits for radicalisation and recruitment, especially through online platforms; policing strategies for countering extremism and radicalization; identifying, preventing and countering online extremist materials and their sources; and investigating and countering ISIS terror networks.

Commending EU-India counter-terrorism cooperation, Yogesh Chander Modi emphasised: "There are no boundaries for terrorism. We often find an international connection to terror outfits and their activities, making global cooperation a necessity to tackle terrorism and radicalization. This sharing of experiences is vital for the law enforcement agencies to stay abreast of the tools and techniques employed by these terror outfits across the world, so as to be able to better tackle terrorist threats."

Inaugurating the workshop, Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to India, said "This workshop is a clear testimony that Counter Terrorism cooperation between the EU and India is robust. Concrete cooperation between the EU and Indian law enforcement agencies will build capacities on both sides and help jointly tackle terrorism and radicalization, a necessity in today's world."

The Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, said that in the fight against terrorism, international and multilateral coordination is an "absolute necessity".

"In the fight against terrorism, international and multilateral coordination is an absolute necessity. The EU and India cooperation on security matters is already quite substantial and will assume a new dimension going forward, in various areas such as peacekeeping, maritime security, cyber-security and combating cybercrime, and of course counter-terrorism. This workshop demonstrates the added-value of the EU and India in working together towards regional security," he said.