NSA Ajit Doval calls for bolstering cooperation against terrorism at BRICS meet

New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI) National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Wednesday called for bolstering cooperation against terrorism without any reservations as he addressed a virtual meeting of the five-nation grouping BRICS.

The virtual meeting, hosted by China, took place over a week before the top leaders of the BRICS hold a virtual summit that is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin among others. The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the world’s largest developing countries, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade.

At the meeting of the NSAs of the BRICS hosted by China, Doval also emphasised the need for urgent reforms of the multilateral system in order to address global issues with credibility, equity and accountability. The NSA particularly highlighted that cooperation against terrorism should be bolstered without any  reservations. He also welcomed the ongoing cooperation under the framework of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group.

Doval also spoke about the need for continuing cooperation against the challenges of pandemics and climate change. The NSA called for giving importance to cooperation in the areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), outer space and maritime security. He said there is a need to prevent the use of ICT by terrorists.

Doval also delved into the importance of having “trusted and resilient supply chains”. The BRICS virtual summit is scheduled to be held on June 23 and June 24.