India among 80 countries attending Paris anti-terror financing meet

In sync with New Delhi's continued anti-terror efforts in its diplomatic engagements, Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar is leading a high-level Indian delegation to the two-day Conference on Combating Terror Financing that started in Paris on Wednesday.

Welcoming India's participation in the conference, French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler said in a statement: "As the hosting country, France is delighted that India is sending a high-level, comprehensive delegation to the event."

Headed by Akbar, the Indian delegation comprises Rajinder Khanna, Deputy National Security Advisor, Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism) in the External Affairs Ministry, Chander Modi, Director-General of the National Investigative Agency (NIA), and other representatives from the Ministries of Home Affairs and Finance.

"This impressive participation is both a reflection of counter-terrorism being a shared priority for our two countries, and the excellence of our partnership in this regard," Ziegler said.

Ministers from 80 countries and nearly 500 experts are gathering in Paris from Wednesday for the conference on combating the financing of terror groups such as Islamic State and Al Qaeda, thelocal.fr news website reported citing French officials said.

Terrorist attacks across the world have become increasingly low-cost since the 9/11 atrocities in the US, particularly in recent years when followers of the Islamic State (IS) have used vehicles and guns as their main weapon of choice

"But French authorities remain concerned about a huge war-chest amassed by IS between 2014 and 2016 when it ruled over large swathes of oil-rich territory in Iraq and Syria," the website report said.

"A French presidential official briefing journalists on Tuesday said that IS income was estimated at about $1 billion (820 million euros) a year."

India, meanwhile, has been seeking the world's support for the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) that it initiated in the UN in 1996.

--IANS

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