ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the European Union held their ninth counter-terrorism dialogue in Brussels on Thursday to discuss enhancing cooperation on counter-terrorism, a key component of their broader security engagement under the 2019 Strategic Engagement Plan.
The discussions were led by Maciej Stadejek, Director for Security and Defence Policy at the European External Action Service, and Abdul Hameed, Director General for Counter-Terrorism at Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Both sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and reiterated their unwavering commitment to combat it, according to an official statement.
The talks provided an opportunity to address regional and global security challenges, including the security situation in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Both parties emphasized the significance of robust cooperation with international partners in multilateral settings, such as the United Nations and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, which the EU has co-chaired since 2022.
The dialogue also focused on areas for collaboration, including sharing best practices and developing concrete measures to prevent and counter violent extremism, combat the recruitment and movement of foreign fighters, address both offline and online radicalization, and combat terrorism financing, among other pressing issues in the fight against terrorism.
In January, EU Special Representative for Human Rights Ambassador Olof Skoog visited Pakistan for a week, emphasizing the importance of progress on human rights issues to maintain GSP+ status during the ongoing review under the GSP+ trade policy.
During his visit, Ambassador Skoog met with a range of stakeholders, including government ministers, military officials, civil society representatives, human rights defenders, and the business sector. He reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Pakistan in fulfilling its human rights obligations and encouraged meaningful consultations with all stakeholders, including Pakistan’s vibrant civil society.
