India and Egypt Hold Third Meeting on Counter-Terrorism
On February 16, 2023, the India-Egypt Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism held their third meeting in New Delhi, with Mr. Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs of India and Mr. Mohamed Fouad Ahmed, Director, Counter-Terrorism Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt leading their respective delegations. The senior representatives from both sides condemned all forms of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and reviewed the threats posed by terrorist groups globally and in their respective countries and regions.
They shared their counter-terrorism priorities and actions, with a focus on countering terrorism, violent extremism conducive to terrorism, radicalization, and terror financing. The two sides stressed the need for concerted actions against all the UNSC-designated terrorist entities and called upon all countries to take immediate, sustained, irreversible and verifiable actions against terrorist safe havens and bring perpetrators of terrorist attacks to justice.
Discussions also centered around new and emerging challenges posed by virtual currencies, unmanned aerial systems, and the misuse of cyberspace for terrorist propaganda. The two sides reaffirmed the need for an early finalization and adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) to strengthen the global counter-terrorism legal framework.
The Joint Working Group agreed to strengthen bilateral counter-terrorism collaboration, including training and capacity-building efforts, information sharing, and exchanges of good practices. They also discussed multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, including in the United Nations and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), with both sides exchanging views on how to enhance the effectiveness of the GCTF. The next meeting of the Joint Working Group will be held in Egypt at a mutually convenient date.
