In Russia, NSA Ajit Doval pledges India’s cooperation in countering terrorism

Moscow, April 24

India will continue cooperation for countering misuse of information and communication technologies by terrorists and criminals, NSA Ajit Doval said on Wednesday as he called for international cooperation for an open, stable, secure, reliable and inclusive framework for ensuring information security.

Reviews bilateral ties

• NSA Ajit Doval met his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev for the second time this month
• They reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and discussed important issues of mutual interest
• Doval had condemned the barbaric terror attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22 and called for shunning double standards in combating the menace

Speaking at a plenary session on Ensuring Information Security in the Polycentric World in St Petersburg, Doval underscored India’s policy to use digital technology for inclusive economic development.

Doval emphasised that India should continue cooperation for countering misuse of information and communication technologies by terrorists and criminals, as also for countering terror funding. In that context, the UN Convention on cybercrime will be an important initiative at the international level, he said. He called for international cooperation for an open, stable, secure, reliable and inclusive framework for ensuring information security.

Doval, who participated at the XII International Meeting of High Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters, said the roadmap for such cooperation should include all stakeholders from governments to private sector, academia, technical communities and civil society, and regular institutional dialogues to help develop common understanding on critical issues.

Capacity building of like-minded nations through training, education, awareness programmes and development of security standards for emerging technologies, and creation of mechanisms for cooperation at domestic and international levels should also be part of such cooperation, he said. He also met his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev for the second time this month, and they reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and discussed important issues of mutual interest. Doval held a bilateral meeting with Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, on the sidelines of the meeting, which was held in St Petersburg. The Indian Embassy in Moscow said in a post on X, “Both sides reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and discussed important issues of mutual interest.”