India, Germany agree to deepen cooperation in combating terrorism

India and Germany on Wednesday agreed to further deepen cooperation in combating terrorism through the regular exchange of information, mutual capacity-building efforts, and sharing the best practices and mutual legal assistance with each other.

The discussion in this regard was held during the 8th meeting of India-Germany Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism here on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a release.

A composite Indian delegation at the meeting was led by Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism in the MEA, while the German delegation was led by Ambassador Andreas Kunne, Director, United Nations and Counter-Terrorism in the German Federal Foreign Office.

The two sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed the need for strengthening international cooperation to combat the menace in a comprehensive and sustained manner.

They exchanged assessments on threats posed by globally proscribed terrorist entities and their affiliates as well as ongoing concerns over cross-border terrorism in the South Asian region.

"The two sides agreed to further deepen counter-terrorism cooperation through the regular exchange of information, mutual capacity-building efforts, sharing of best practices and mutual legal assistance. Cooperation in multilateral fora such as the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force was also discussed," the statement read.

The two sides discussed the importance of disrupting terrorist networks, safe havens, infrastructure and their financing channels, and halting the cross-border movement of terrorists.

They also exchanged views on contemporary counter-terrorism challenges such as radicalisation and extremism, misuse of internet for terror purposes, travel of foreign terrorist fighters, terrorist use of Unmanned Aerial Systems, etc.

It was decided that the next meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism shall be held in Germany in 2020 on a mutually convenient date.