In a 1st, UNSC counterterrorism committee meets in India, MEA hails it `historic moment`

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that UNSC`s counterterrorism committee meets in India`s iconic cities which are New Delhi and Mumbai

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Saturday that the United Nations Security Council's counterterrorism committee meeting in India's iconic cities of New Delhi and Mumbai was a historic moment. "I'd like to thank all of the council members for their support for the Delhi Declaration. For the first time, the council held its meetings in two of India's most iconic cities. For the first time, the Security Council visited India and held meetings in Mumbai and Delhi "Kwatra stated. The UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee adopted the Delhi Declaration during a special meeting in India focused on new and emerging technologies.

Over the Delhi Declaration that was adopted unanimously by the UN counterterrorism committee, Kwatra said, "Today`s Delhi declaration is not only a commitment to fight terrorism but also a commitment of the Security Council."Delhi declaration marks the commitment of the security council to address this menace. India`s External Affairs Minister would be chairing the briefing of the Security Council in December this year." He highlighted that counterterrorism is India`s priority. As India hosted the anti-terrorism meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in Mumbai on Friday numerous survivors of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks outlined their experiences and highlighted that the masterminds behind the attacks were still not behind bars.

Over this, Foreign Secretary Kwatra said, "Yesterday you expressed solidarity with victims. You all heard the first time, the voices of victims still stood up and called for peace and harmony."He further apprised the gathering that the discussions earlier on Saturday deliberated on the questions "that confront us. How do we address misuse of drones, and the internet? How to collectively respond to these new and emerging threats." With the adoption of the Delhi Declaration, India decided to work on recommendations on the three themes of the CTC special meeting, namely -- "Countering Terrorist Exploitation of ICT and Emerging Technologies", "Threats and opportunities related to new payment technologies and fundraising methods" and "Threats posed by the misuse of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by terrorists".