New Delhi: India and the European Union will host a regional conference to discuss current and emerging threats in online radicalisation and find ways to jointly counter the exploitation of online spaces by extremist and terrorist actors on August 21-22.

The two-day EU-India Track 1.5 Conference in New Delhi will bring 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.

In a press release, the EU's Delegation to India stated, "The European Union (EU), in collaboration with organising partner Global Counter-Terrorism Council (GCTC) and Ministry of External Affairs, 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."

According to the press release, the conference aims to enhance counter-terrorism dialogues and partnerships in the region, consistent with the EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy, which foresees a deeper and stronger engagement with partners that share common goals and face common challenges.

In a press release, the EU's Delegation to India stated, "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."

The event is part of a series of ongoing counterterrorism engagements 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 like combating drone terrorism, cybersecurity, misinformation and disinformation, and women peace and security, according to the press release.

For the conference, the Indian side will bring together senior officials and experts in security and strategic studies from institutions such as the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Ministry of Defence, Indian Army and the Indian Police, to name a few.

In the press release, EU's Delegation to India stated, "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."

European Union's Ambassador to India, Herve Delphin, stressed that sharing knowledge, experience and expertise among friends and partners is vital to keep track and counter online radicalisation.

In a press release, Delphin 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."

"As two of the world's largest democracies and global security actors, we are happy to host this key conference alongside India, with whom we have a strong ongoing counter-terrorism dialogue and cooperation," he added.

Herve Delphin noted that the EU has been at the forefront of regulating social media companies and internet providers with a strong focus on human rights. He further said, "We are happy to share our experiences, regulatory frameworks, and enforcement mechanisms. Through collaborating with India and countries in the region, we can enhance our collective capacity to combat transnational terrorist networks, share best practices in intelligence gathering and analysis, and develop effective strategies to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism."

KD Dewal, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism), Ministry of External Affairs, emphasised that India has a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and expressed India's readiness to engage as a collaborative partner in addressing pressing terrorism challenges, particularly its experience with cross-border terrorism and extremism. He stated that there should be no "double standards" in countering terrorism.

Dewal stated, "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."

"The recently held meeting of India-EU Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism was an opportunity to continue and enhance cooperation on this important element of the EU-India Strategic Partnership. The EU and India strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasised the need for strengthening international cooperation in dealing with counterterrorism challenges. In this context, they agreed that cooperation in multilateral fora such as the UN and Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) remains crucial," he added.

In February 2022, the EU and India held their first joint workshop on terrorism content online, building on the Counterterrorism Dialogue initiated in November 2020. This online workshop addressed the pressing issue of terrorist exploitation of the internet while exploring innovative prevention campaigns and interventions, according to the press release.

Since then, the EU-India Counterterrorism Dialogue has continued to prioritise the regulation of Terrorist Content Online, elevating it to one of the top two main priorities during the March 2022 discussion.

This critical topic was revisited and further explored during the 2024 EU India Counterterrorism Dialogue, demonstrating the shared commitment of both regions to addressing this evolving threat, the EU's Delegation to India stated in a press release.

Notably, the Global Counter Terrorism Council (GCTC) is a registered non-profit international think tank initiated by public-spirited individuals to awaken further issues of national interest and global conscience about terrorism as a threat to humanity, human security etc.

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