PM Modi, Australian counterpart Albanese resolve to work together to combat terrorism

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese have vowed to work closely to take concerted action against globally proscribed terrorist entities and to contribute to the common fight against terrorism, including through combating terror financing. Ways to deal with global terrorism figured prominently during wide-ranging talks between the two prime ministers at the first annual India-Australia Summit here on Friday.

A joint statement said Modi and Albanese strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and emphasised the need for strengthened international cooperation to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner. They also underlined the need for action against those who encourage, support and finance terrorism or provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups, whatever their motivation may be. "They called upon all countries to work together to root out terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupt terrorist networks and their financing channels and halt use of terrorist proxies and cross-border movement of terrorists," the joint statement said.

It said the two prime ministers reiterated their condemnation of terrorist attacks in India and Australia, including the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks. The reference to cross-border movement of terrorists came in the backdrop of Pakistan's support to cross-border terrorism against India. "The prime ministers emphasised the importance of perpetrators of terrorist attacks being systematically and expeditiously brought to justice," the statement said. It said Modi and Albanese agreed to work together to take "concerted action against globally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals, and closely work together in the common fight against global terrorism, including through combating the financing of terrorism, monitoring and preventing illicit financial flows, money laundering and hawala (and) sharing intelligence".

"The prime ministers reiterated the urgent need for all countries to take immediate, sustained, verifiable and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under their control is used for terrorist attacks, and to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of such attacks," the statement said. "They expressed their commitment for working together to promote accountability for the perpetrators of such terrorist attacks, including through designations by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee. They emphasised the need to bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice," it added.

The joint statement said Prime Minister Albanese commended India's hosting of the Special Session of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in Mumbai and Delhi in October last year during which all Council members collectively paid homage to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. "Prime Minister Albanese also acknowledged the adoption of the 'Delhi Declaration on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes' at the special session of the CTC of the UNSC," it said.