Pakistan, EU wrap up anti-terror talks to jointly combat terrorism

Islamabad: Pakistan and European Union (EU) have wrapped up their anti-terrorism talks here with a joint statement, reiterating their resolve to jointly combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations.

Officials of both sides reaffirmed that terrorism continued to pose a threat to states and societies across the globe, the foreign ministry said in a statement late Friday after the sixth round of Pakistan-EU Political Counter-Terrorism dialogue held on November 23 under the framework of the EU-Pakistan Five-Year Engagement Plan.

Officials discussed the ongoing EU-Pakistan cooperation and collaboration in the area of counter-terrorism and agreed to explore further avenues of mutually agreed cooperation including exchange of best practices in areas such as law enforcement/security, criminal justice and rule of law, countering financing of terrorism and preventing violent extremism.

"The EU side, while reaffirming its solidarity with the victims of terrorist attacks and recognizing successes of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism, expressed support for Pakistan's continuing efforts in this regard," it said.

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The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in dealing with violent extremism in all its aspects and addressing the root causes of these problems. They also reaffirmed their determination to work together in promoting international cooperation through forums such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF).

Both sides also reaffirmed that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group. They also underlined the importance of enhancing intercultural and inter-religious dialogue and understanding to promote tolerance and harmony, the foreign ministry said.

The EU and Pakistan agreed that the next meeting of the dialogue will take place in Brussels in 2018.

--IANS