India and Australia have emphasised the need for strengthening global cooperation to combat terrorism and condemned the use of “terrorist proxies” for cross-border terrorism.
Ways to further expand bilateral cooperation in dealing with terrorism figured prominently at the 14th meeting of the India-Australia joint working group on counter-terrorism that was held in Delhi on Monday.
“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,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
“They also condemned the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism,” it said.
The MEA 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 the internet for terrorist purposes, radicalisation and terror financing, and the nexus between organised crime and terrorism, among other issues,” it said in a statement.
It said both sides also discussed cooperation in regional, global and multilateral fora such as the UN, FATF (Financial Action Task Force), Quad and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism at the MEA K D Dewal and Richard Feakes, Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, led the respective delegations at the meeting.
Separately, India and Australia also deliberated on ways to boost cooperation in the maritime domain.
The two sides discussed the issue at the sixth India-Australia Maritime Security Dialogue that took place in Canberra on Tuesday.
The MEA said the two sides conferred on ways to sustain a safe and secure maritime environment conducive for inclusive growth and global well being.
“They exchanged views on various topics of mutual interest, including the maritime security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, maritime domain awareness, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) coordination, regional and multilateral engagements and sustainable use of marine resources,” it said.
“This included cooperation in Search and Rescue (SAR), pollution response, blue economy and Port State control,” it said in a separate readout.
The MEA said the two sides also discussed ways and means of further strengthening their bilateral cooperation in these areas. “They also conferred on the way ahead for collaboration in the maritime ecology pillar of the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI),” it said.
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