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Unofficial translation from Russian

Joint Statement

Following the Second Session of the Russian-Indian Joint Working Group on Counteraction against International Terrorism, New Delhi, April 8, 2004

731-08-04-2004

The second session of the Russian-Indian Joint Working Group on Counteraction against International Terrorism was held on April 8 in New Delhi. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Anatoly Safonov headed the Russian, and Deputy Minister of External Affairs for International Security of India M. Shankar the Indian delegation. The delegations included interdepartmental groups of counterterrorism experts and official representatives of law enforcement agencies.

Both sides recalled that the Russian-Indian Joint Working Group on Counteraction against International Terrorism had been set up by a decision recorded in the Memorandum of Mutual Understanding, signed in the course of the visit to India of the President of the Russian Federation in December 2002, and that it is an important element of the strategic partnership of the two countries. They condemned outright all the manifestations, methods and practices of terrorism as criminal and having no justification, and reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen further their cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Both sides concurred in assessments of the military, legislative and financial measures taken against terrorists and terrorist networks since the last session of the group in September 2003. International and regional developments were examined. The Indian side gave an assessment to terrorist threats in the South Asia region, including cross-border terrorism inflicting harm upon India; simultaneously the Russian side also set out its views on the challenges to Russia from terrorism.

The sides discussed multilateral efforts in the fight against terrorism and agreed that it is necessary to go on strengthening the related institutional mechanisms established by the Security Council of the United Nations and enhancing their efficiency. They concurred in assessments of efforts to advance various multilateral initiatives with special emphasis on the Indian Draft Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism and the Russian Draft Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Both sides exchanged views on new challenges, including the threat of WMD getting into the hands of terrorist organizations. They also discussed the relationships between the illicit trade in drugs and the financing of terrorism. Both sides agreed that the continuing cultivation of opium poppy and the illicit drug trafficking are a serious threat to the security, political stability and economic development of many regions of the world.

The Joint Working Group attached special importance to the strengthening of bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Both delegations agreed to deepen their antiterrorist cooperation, in particular, through:

- the exchange of information and experience in the fight against international terrorism;

- the strengthening of cooperation in the fight against illicit drug trafficking;

- continued cooperation with the aim of preventing the financing of terrorist activities;

- assistance to the full and effective implementation of the provisions of UNSCR 1373 and to the work of the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee;

- the continuation of consultations on the drafts of a Comprehensive Convention Against International Terrorism and a Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism with a view to completing the work on them.

The sides agreed to hold the next session of the Russian-Indian Joint Working Group on Counteraction against International Terrorism in Moscow at the end of 2004.

April 8, 2004

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