New Delhi: The European Union (EU), in collaboration with organising partner Global Counter-Terrorism Council (GCTC) and with India’s Ministry of External Affairs as a strategic partner, will be hosting a crucial regional conference on August 21-22, to discuss the current and emerging threats in online radicalisation and find ways to jointly counter the exploitation of online spaces by extremist and terrorist actors.
The two-day EU-India Track 1.5 Conference in New Delhi brings together experts, policymakers, academia and law enforcement officials from South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka) and Europe, who are at the forefront of the fight against digital extremism, a media statement said.
The conference aims to enhance counter-terrorism dialogues and partnerships in the region, consistent with the EU Indo-Pacific Strategy, which foresees a deeper and stronger engagement with partners which share common goals and face common challenges. Expected outcomes include exploring strategies to address the complex challenges posed by the intersection of technology and terrorism while identifying possible areas of collaboration between the EU, India and the wider region to counter violent extremism in the digital sphere, it said.
The event is part of a series of ongoing counterterrorism engagement between the EU and India, building on recent activities in the country held under the EU project Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia (ESIWA), which have previously included topics such as combating drone terrorism, cybersecurity, misinformation and disinformation, and women peace and security, the statement added.
On the Indian side, the conference will bring together senior officials and experts in security and strategic studies from institutions such as the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Indian Army and the Indian Police, to name a few. In the spirit of #TeamEurope, a diverse group of top security practitioners from European Union institutions, EU Member States (Austria, Italy, Croatia, Estonia, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, France and Romania), and key agencies such as European Border & Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and European Counter Terrorism Centre (Europol) will come together to engage in peer-to-peer exchange, it added.
H.E. Hervé Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India, said: "Terrorism knows no boundaries and has found with online digital activities a new field of propagation. Sharing knowledge, experience and expertise among friends and partners is vital to keep track and counter online radicalisation while ensuring the right balance between security measures and citizens’ fundamental rights."
KD Dewal, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, said: “India has a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and stands ready to engage as a collaborative partner in addressing pressing terrorism challenges, especially given its experiences with cross-border terrorism and extremism. It is important to summon the political will to unhesitatingly combat terrorism, not permit terrorism to be justified or terrorists to be glorified. We must not countenance double standards in countering terrorism."
