Brussels: Pakistan and the European Union held their ninth Counter-Terrorism Dialogue in Brussels on Thursday. The respective delegations were led by Director for Security and Defence Policy at the European External Action Service, Maciej Stadejek, and Director General for Counter Terrorism at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Hameed. The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in counter-terrorism as part of the wider engagement on security matters within the framework of the 2019 Strategic Engagement Plan.

According to Radio Pakistan, both the European Union and Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to combating it. The dialogue provided a platform for exchanging views on regional and global challenges, including the security implications of the situation in Afghanistan and other regions such as the Middle East.

The participants underscored the importance of strong cooperation with international partners in multilateral fora. This includes collaborative efforts within the United Nations framework and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, which the EU has been co-chairing since 2022.

The discussions also explored areas for exchanging best practices and fostering concrete cooperation. The focus was on common actions regarding the prevention and countering of violent extremism, recruitment and movement of foreign fighters, offline and online radicalization, and combating terrorism financing, addressing the growing challenges posed by terrorism.