The BRICS Counter Terrorism Action Plan that will strengthen counter-terror cooperation among the members of the grouping has been finalised. The discussion in this regard was held at the sixth meeting of the BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group held on July 28-29. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced that the Action Plan will help bring “result-oriented cooperation” among the BRICS member states.
The meeting of the Working Group, held virtually, saw participation from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the member countries of the grouping.
“During the Working Group meeting while condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed, the BRICS countries also exchanged views on terrorism threat assessment at national, regional and global level and resolved to further enhance counter terrorism cooperation in line with the Action Plan,” said a press release from the MEA.
The Action Plan is one of the key deliverables during India’s Chairship of BRICS and is expected to come up for adoption during the meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors scheduled in August.
The document will help in increasing intra-BRICS collaboration on “combating terrorism, radicalisation, financing of terrorism, misuse of the Internet by terrorists”. It will also curb travel of terrorists, strengthen border control and protect soft targets. The Action Plan is the result of adoption of the BRICS Counter Terrorism Strategy by the BRICS leaders in 2020.
The meeting of the BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group was preceded by the five thematic sub-working groups on misuse of Internet for terrorist purpose, deradicalisation, countering terrorist financing, capacity building and countering foreign terrorist fighters, held on July 26-27.