Pakistan, EU agree to cement counterterrorism cooperation

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan and the European Union have agreed to strengthen their cooperation at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, to advance a coherent counterterrorism approach.

The understanding to this effect was reached during the 10th round of the Pakistan-European Union Bilateral Counterterrorism Dialogue held in Islamabad today.

The Pakistan delegation was led by Director General (Counterterrorism) Dr. Fareha Bugti, while the EU side was headed by the EU External Action Service's Special Envoy for Counterterrorism, Anna Strzaska.

Pakistan and the EU exchanged views on recent regional and global developments impacting the terrorism threat landscape and issued an unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, reaffirming their commitment to combating this threat.

The EU side condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, expressed solidarity with the sufferings of innocent civilians affected and recognized the value of Pakistan's efforts to combat terrorism.

Acknowledging each other's role in the ongoing global fight against terrorism, Pakistan and the EU expressed concern over the security implications of the situation in Afghanistan.

They maintained that effective multilateralism remains essential to building lasting international consensus on terrorism.

The discussions also addressed the evolving nature of terrorist threats, including the exploitation of cyberspace, information and energy resources for advancing their objectives.

Pakistan and the EU exchanged best practices on preventing and countering violent extremism, terrorism financing and radicalization in all forms, particularly the use of cyberspace by terrorists, among other critical areas in addressing the evolving terrorist threat.

They identified priority areas for cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to regular, institutionalized engagement on counterterrorism.

It was agreed that the next round of the counterterrorism dialogue will be held in Brussels on a mutually convenient date next year.