India and Russia recently held the 12th meeting of their working group on fighting terrorism in Moscow. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged assessments of essential terrorist threats at the global and regional levels, and reaffirmed their readiness to bolster constructive counter-terrorism cooperation in the bilateral format and on multilateral platforms such as the UN, BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The participants stressed the importance of further developing international interaction to fight the use of modern technologies for terrorist goals, the spread of terrorist and extremist ideology, and to counter financing and other financial support of terrorism.
The consultations took place ahead of the two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the SCO nations in Goa, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is attending. The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation consisting of eight member states, including China, India, and Russia, and four observer states.
India and Russia have a long history of cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. In 2018, the two countries signed a Joint Action Plan to combat terrorism, which outlined specific measures to enhance their cooperation in this area. They have also been cooperating within the framework of the BRICS and the SCO, both of which have identified counter-terrorism as a key priority.
India faces a range of terrorist threats, including from groups operating in Pakistan, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. These groups have carried out attacks on Indian soil, targeting both civilians and security personnel. Russia, meanwhile, has been dealing with a range of terrorist threats, including from groups operating in the North Caucasus region.
The exchange of assessments of essential terrorist threats at the global and regional levels between India and Russia is likely to help both countries better understand the evolving nature of the terrorist threat and develop more effective strategies to counter it. The continued cooperation between India and Russia in the fight against terrorism will be important not just for the two countries, but for the wider region as well.