The meeting was significant in the backdrop of the recent terror attack in Russia that was carried out by extremists with Central Asian origins who may have been influenced by Pakistan-based seminaries.
During the meeting that took place in Astana, both sides exchanged views on the terrorist threats in their respective regions, including State-sponsored, cross-border terrorism in South Asia, besides terror activities in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (CT), Ministry of External Affairs, KD Dewal; while the Kazakh delegation was spearheaded by Talgat Kaliyev, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
” The two sides assessed counter terrorism challenges, including the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists, misuse of the internet for terrorist purposes, radicalisation and terror financing,” a MEA release stated.
Both sides emphasised the importance of strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation through exchange of information, capacity building, training programmes, and cooperation at the multilateral fora such as the UN, EAG and SCO.The two sides agreed to hold the 6th meeting of the Joint Working Group on CT in India. Kazakhstan has a strict approach in dealing with terrorism and had come out in support of Russia immediately after the attack. Security matters will be a priority for Kazakhstan’s SCO chairmanship this year.
