India, Russia reiterate commitment to more cooperation on counterterrorism

India and Russia have reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in security and counterterrorism, an official said on Tuesday.

A Home Ministry statement said the issue was taken up by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Russian Federation Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev during a meeting in Moscow on Monday.

The two leaders also reviewed the implementation of the Agreement on Information Security signed in October 2016.

Both sides welcomed the ongoing cooperation and regular exchange of visits between the National Security Councils of the two countries.

Rajnath Singh, on a three-day visit to Russia from November 27-29, also held discussions with Russian Minister for Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov on cooperation in disaster management.

The two reviewed the progress on Agreement on Disaster Management signed in 2010.

"Both sides agreed that EMERCOM of Russia will cooperate in the establishment of a National Crisis Management Centre in India," the statement said.

They also agreed on a programme to train specialists and sharing of experiences and best practices in disaster management.

The two leaders later signed a Joint Implementation Plan for 2018-19 for cooperation in disaster management.

Rajnath Singh will visit the Federal Security Service of Russia and hold talks with its Director Alexander Bortnikov on Tuesday, the statement added.

--IANS

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