Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: A very good evening to all of you. Thank you very much for coming for this Special Briefing. As you are aware, this Special Media Briefing is on the occasion of an important special meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee of the United Nations Security Council, which will be held in Mumbai and New Delhi on October 28, and October 29, respectively. As you are aware, the Counter Terrorism Committee of the United Nations Security Council was established in 2001, pursuant to the UN Security Council resolution 1373. And India is currently holding the chair of the Counter Terrorism Committee. This special meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee is titled "countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes”. The CTC or the Counter Terrorism Committee usually meets in New York, as you know. So it's a very special privilege for us, for India to host this meeting of the CTC. To give us a sense of the next couple of days and the background of the meeting and how we look forward to what are the discussions going to cover, we really have privilege to have here senior people in system who are dealing with this. We have Madam Ruchira Kamboj, our Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in New York, who is also the chair of the Counter Terrorism Committee. We have Sanjay Verma Sir, Secretary (West) in the Ministry, who will be speaking as the host country India representative. We have Dr. David Scharia who is the Director and Chief of Branch of the Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate, the CTED, which assists the CTC, and of course, my colleague Prakash Gupta, Joint Secretary, in the UNP in the Ministry, who was the core of this all effort towards the United Nations, who is also here on the dais. And without further ado, I would like to now hand over the floor to Secretary (West) Sir, to give us a sense of how we look at from India's perspective.
Shri Sanjay Verma (Secretary (West)): Thank you Arindam. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. And also to my co-panellist here, my colleagues. Well, as spokesperson has mentioned that the CTC or the UN Security Council's Counter Terrorism Committee will be hosted in Mumbai and in Delhi on 28th and 29th, respectively. The overarching theme of this meeting would be "countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes”. The meeting will begin with a soft opening session and tribute to the victims of terrorism in Mumbai on 28th October, through a solemn ceremony at hotel Taj Mahal Palace, where External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, along with member state's of the UNSC, this will include the 15 current members and the incoming five and other senior UN officials, will lay a wreath at the 26/11 memorial site and observe a minute's silence in memory of the victims. Ministerial participants are expected, I'm happy to share, and will include His Excellency Michael Mousa Adamo, Foreign Minister of Gabon, who also is the president of the UNSC for the month. Her Excellency Miss Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Foreign Minister of Ghana, Rt. Honourable James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary of UK, Her Excellency, Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation of UAE, Miss Megi Fino, Deputy Foreign Minister of Albania, and the UN CTED delegation will be led by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under Secretary General, UN Office for Counter Terrorism. Statements in memory of victims will be read out by EAM and the President of the UNSC, the Foreign Minister of Gabon. Select victims of the Mumbai terror attacks will also be addressing the participants separately. Subsequently, an informal briefing of the CTC will be held on the theme of combating terrorism financing in local and regional contexts.
The special meeting of the CTC in Delhi on 29th October will commence with the high level ministerial plenary session in which UNSG’s message along with EAM and other ministerial participants will address the delegates and discussions during the day will focus on the three separate sub themes of – one, countering terrorist exploitation of information and communication technologies; two, countering terrorism financing - online threats and opportunities related to new payment technologies and fundraising methods; and thirdly, threats posed by terrorist use of unmanned aircraft systems. Leading Experts from UN's operational partners and specialized agencies will also be addressing these panel discussions. It is expected that the outcomes of the UNSC CTC meeting would feed into India's UNSC December presidency opening briefing on global counter terrorism architecture principles on the way ahead, which is scheduled to be held in New York on 15th December 2022. The proceedings of the meetings both Mumbai and New Delhi segments can be viewed live on UN TV where it will be broadcast globally. The concept note and program outlined for these meetings are available on the website of the UNSC CTC. Before I conclude my remarks, I may also add that counterterrorism is a focus area for India in the last quarter of this year. In November on 18th and 19th India will also be hosting the third Ministerial Conference, 'No Money For Terror'. That will be in New Delhi. I will rest my comments here at this point. Arindam.
Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Thank you very much, Sir. May I now offer the floor to the Chair of CTC and the Permanent Representative of India, Ruchira Ma’am.
Ms. Ruchira Kamboj (PR, PMI NY & UNSC CTC CHAIR): Thank you, Arindam, and good afternoon, everybody. It is my honour indeed, to address you today in my capacity as chair of the Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee on the occasion of its upcoming special meeting. I will start with a brief introduction to the committee and what it does before I further elaborate on the special meeting. As you would perhaps know the Counter Terrorism Committee was established by the Security Council in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks through the adoption of resolution 1373 of 2001 concerning countering terrorism. The committee which comprises all 15 members of the Security Council has been tasked with the monitoring and implementation of Resolution 1373 and request countries to implement a number of measures intended to enhance their legal and institutional ability to counter terrorist activities at home, in their regions and around the world. The resolution mandates the committee to monitor the full implementation by member states of resolution 1373. To that end, the committee is assisted by its executive directorate, also known as CTED that carries out the committee's policy decisions and conducts expert assessments of all 193 member states of the United Nations. In this vein, I'm very pleased to be joined by David Scharia and other CTED colleagues today. So welcome David and Jennifer, I saw her somewhere. I think she's there. Dear friends, I also wanted to mention that over the past two decades, member states have made tangible progress in countering terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism. Yet, as we all know, the terrorist threat persists, and despite our best efforts, has evolved.
Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations remains to constitute one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. With the growing prevalence of technology and the rapid rise in digitization, addressing the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, has become an issue of increasing concern. Mindful therefore, of addressing this issue whilst also recognizing the potential of these technologies to increase the effectiveness of counter terrorism efforts, the committee has come together in India to hold a special meeting on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes. The special meeting is hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, as you all know. On 28th October, the first day of the meeting, the special meeting will kick off with a soft opening session in Mumbai. Secretary (West) has already mentioned that. In this high level solemn event, the council members, including Ministers and High Level Officials from the United Nations will pay tribute to the victims of terrorism, including the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. We will be honoured to hear voices of victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, as well as the 2016 Brussels bombings. The meeting will be followed by an informal session on combating terror financing in the local and regional contexts organized by the Government of India.
On day two, that is 29 October, the Committee will conduct a full day's special meeting in New Delhi, which will bring together a wealth of knowledge and real world expertise on the subject matter with participation of member states, relevant operational partners, and key stakeholders. Now, you will ask me, what will the discussions focus on? Well, they will focus specifically on the rapid development, growing use by Member States and increasing threat of use for terrorist purposes of three significant technologies. Number one, the internet, including social media; number two, new payment technologies and fundraising methods; and three, unmanned aerial systems, including drones. In this context, the special meeting will serve to reflect on recent developments and the latest evidence based research regarding the threats posed by the use of these technologies for terrorist purposes, as well as global efforts to counter these threats, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. It will serve further to explore ways in which states, operational partners and key stakeholders can strengthen their engagement and cooperation in these areas. Let me reiterate once again, that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivations wherever, whenever, and by whomsoever committed. The committee is determined to engage with all relevant stakeholders to assist member states in their efforts to address this terrorist threat. I'm convinced that our deliberations and discussions during the special meeting will further contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the overall effort to fight the scourge of terrorism on a global level. Thank you. And I and my colleagues from CTED and of course, Secretary (West) stand ready to respond to any questions. Thank you,
Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Thank you Ma’am. Would Dr. Scharia like to say a few words. Thank you.
Dr. David Scharia (Head of Branch, UN-CTED): Thank you, Mr. Secretary, Madam Chair. Let me start by warmly thanking you and your government for your principled leadership of the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee. If it's not too late, allow me also to wish you all a Happy Diwali. And let me introduce myself. My name indeed is David Scharia, and I'm a Director at the Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, also known as CTED. With your permission, let me delve deeper into the rationale behind this timely meeting, which is the outcome of many discussions held between our office and the government of India and between the Security Council members themselves. The final outcomes of these discussions were just presented by the chair and it has a fundamental assumption in it. The fundamental assumption underpinning this meeting is that new and emerging technologies are a force for good. Let there be no mistake about it. The Internet allows all of us to communicate in ways we could not have imagined a few years ago. It allowed the world economy to continue to function despite all the horrors brought on us by COVID-19. New payment methods allow remittances to be made easily, rapidly, securely and cheaply also to parts of the world where modern financial systems do not function well or don't even exist. And UAS or unmanned aerial systems help farmers plan harvest better, they allow medicine to be brought to remote areas, and humanitarian assistance to be delivered to conflict zones, or to areas struck by natural disasters. But it is because these technologies are so powerful, so disruptive and so transformative that they become such a threat when they are misused, abused or weaponized. And indeed, as the chair has already noted, all these three types of emerging technologies have been used by terrorists and the risk, the terrorists will use them is only growing. This alarming risk led the Counter Terrorism Committee under the Indian leadership to decide that it is time to act.
Over the last few months, and in the coming few days, the CTC members represented, as was mentioned already at a very high level, will discuss what the shape of our response will look like. They all agree that whatever our response is, for it to be truly effective, it must be truly global, we are only as strong as our weakest link. The members have therefore agreed to work collaboratively in tackling these issues, despite many differences among themselves, and despite numerous other pressing global challenges, because after all, it is all about partnership here. It’s partnership among Member States, with civil society, international organizations and the private sector. This is also a priority for CTED, including its valuable partnership with such organizations as the Global Internet Forum on Counter Terrorism, whose founding members include Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube. Over the coming few days, the members of the committee will answer questions such as how can the risks from these technologies be mitigated while preserving all the benefits they offer to our societies and to our economies? And how can that be achieved while also preserving our values, including in particular freedom of expression, the right to privacy and other fundamental rights.
Private sector will be active in this; will be very active and participating in this meeting. They will be asked questions, how can strong enduring partnership be developed between the private and the public sector and how can we make sure that the private sector takes ownership of the risk emanating from new and emerging technologies without suppressing its innovative power. Civil society will also be participating in the meeting, highlighting how gender dimension play into this area. They will also assist us in making sure that the solutions offered do not lead to the suppression or dissent or infringement of human rights. The meeting will not conclude these discussions, there is no silver bullet or magic solution to these complex questions. But the meeting is the very first of its kind, which means it will be making history here in India. And it will lead to a process involving deep reflection that will continue to guide the international community for many years. Following this gathering, CTED will invest more efforts to understand the threats that new and emerging technologies may pose and will offer the committee additional policy options. Before wrapping up, let me just stress that we cannot think of a better place to hold this meeting than right here in India. Not just because it is the world's largest democracy, but also because India is a society where a host of cultures and religions coexist and because India is an innovation and technology powerhouse. Sadly, India is also the right place to hold these meetings, because of its own long and tragic experience with terrorism and we all know. And in India, there is no better place to open the series of important discussions than Mumbai. A city not only that has suffered so harshly from terrorism, but also represents a thriving metropolis consisting of wonderful and very warm people who’ve demonstrated to the world that the only resilient response to terrorism is to recommit ourselves to our values and to our way of life. Thank you.
Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Thank you Dr. Scharia. We will now take a few questions, please introduce yourself and organization you represent before asking the question. May I start with you here.
Mukesh Kaushik: Sir, this is Mukesh Kaushik from Dainik Bhaskar. My question is that committee members would be paying tribute to Mumbai terror attacks. Do you think that committee is expected to pass some resolution that the perpetrators of this attack are sitting in Pakistan, who should be brought back and be tried here in India, what committee would decide about it?
Shri Sanjay Verma (Secretary (West)): There will be a document issued after the meeting. The larger purpose of this unprecedented meeting in India of the Counter Terrorism Committee in Mumbai will resonate with the rest of the world because in 2008, what happened was an attack on what would be the identity of India in the financial and commercial space city, which the imagery, whether it's the Gateway of India, the stock exchange, the Bollywood, the advertising agencies, reflects the best of India in terms of its economic development in recent years. The fact that the CTC has agreed to begin its deliberations even if in a soft opening manner in Mumbai is a message in itself. The thrust of your question is whether the perpetrators of the 2008 carnage will, through this process, the 26/11 incident, be brought to book through this process. The narrative against counter terrorism is one which faces challenges of its own, both on matters of principle and processes. At the same time, while UN anchors the global efforts against counter terrorism there are other processes as well and I would like to draw your attention to the FATF process, and you will recollect that only last week because of that process, Pakistan had to admit and to begin, some sort of legal process. It's not very clear where that legal process will culminate but against two individuals who are directly responsible for 26/11 carnage in Mumbai. We will not venture to suggest that the general discussions and the consensus building, which we aim to achieve through the deliberations in Mumbai and Delhi will double down on any specific event. But I think the backdrop the timing, and the whole nature of how this programming has been put together, would suggest that we see such efforts, whether in the UN or outside, it's a slow process, it is painstaking, sometime double standards are expressed, sometimes it is politicized, but we will have to live with that, we will have to negotiate that with likeminded countries. So this is an ongoing, I wouldn't say struggle, but it is something which we are trying to incrementally tighten against forces, which use all types of excuses, to resort to medieval or primordial ways of resolving political differences. Thank you.
Sidhant: I’m Sidhant from WION. Ma'am my question to you is as the chair of the counter terror body what actions India has taken in terms of dealing with the issue of cross border terrorism as the chair, and to you sir my question is, will India be raising the issue of politicization of the sanctions regime by countries like China when it comes to putting a hold?
Ms. Ruchira Kamboj (PR, PMI NY & CTC CHAIR): Thank you very much Sidhant, for your question. And let me just very quickly take you back to January 2022. We have been Chair of the Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee since January this year. And as you can imagine, this has been a very intense period of activity leading to this special event that we will be conducting in Delhi and Mumbai. You would also recall that in January 2022 itself the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. Jaishankar, had elaborated upon an eight-point approach, as India deals with the scourge of terrorism. I also want to highlight to you that, for the first time, in seven years, the special meeting is being held outside New York, the last time it was held in Spain, in Madrid, in 2015. So this is the very first time that a special meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee is being held outside New York. And all efforts have been geared towards making this a success. In terms of what you asked what we have achieved, achieved in inverted commas, I would signal your attention to two particular areas. One, I think it has been highlighted, that there is a great need to speak with a united voice and with a common voice, as we counter the scourge and menace, which we all agree is one of the most dangerous threats that face humanity today. And the second thing I would like to highlight is the issue of double standards, where we have said that there are no good or no bad terrorists. And we have said before, both the External Affairs Minister and later on the Indian Mission in New York, that those who propagate this distinction, have an agenda and those who cover up for them are just as culpable. So what I'm trying to say is that and as I said in my opening remarks, there can be no justification whatsoever for terrorism, regardless of motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. Thank you.
Shri Sanjay Verma (Secretary (West)): Well, 26/11 incident is again a prime example of cross border terrorism and the victims were not just Indians, they were foreigners, as well. Now, your question on our attempts to designate terrorists what is called under the UN listing process, through the UNSC again runs into a subjectivity and the subjectivity when exercised reflects the fact that the institutional arrangement or decision making processes in a body like UN seem outdated, anachronistic, and India in various forums has referred to reforming multilateralism. The fact that objective listing processes which we have endeavoured to initiate with likeminded countries and friends have run into objections on technicalities, on subjectivities, which are guided by geostrategic alliances, far removed from the original cause for which the listing was suggested. And till we see an overhaul in the multilateral process, whether in the UN Security Council or in the larger UN system, I think we will continue to face these challenges. And for that reason, at this point, I can only reiterate whether it is a country you have referred to or there are other issues on which a technical hold is placed is because the hold is allowed to be placed. The working methods the rules, regulations reflect a world of 1945. We have moved on, but sadly, arrangements and processes which should reflect reality of the 21st century are yet not a work in progress. Thank you.
Smita Sharma: Just a follow up question to Mr. David. You know, Ambassador Verma spoke about the difficulties but you spoke about it's time to act, the weakest links, how do you really act when you have a country, a veto holding power like China placed on hold or resolutions to designate individuals as global terrorists at least four times since June alone this year, doesn't it defeat the very purpose of such meetings. And to Ambassador Kamboj, is cryptocurrency going to be an area of focus? Because that's an area where India is also thinking about legislating a ban, especially in terms of terror financing, is that something that's going to be a part of the deliberations?
Dr. David Scharia (Head of Branch, UN-CTED): I'll say a few words about the first question and I would say the following, and I'll speak with your permission a little bit in abstract. One when we look and I think the issue of new technologies is a wonderful example or the internet, whatever we develop here in India, or in any country, any national regime, to mitigate any risks emanating from any of those technologies, be it terrorism, organized crime, or any other risk will not be effective unless it's truly global. We know that you can with a simple VPN can log in from any country in the world. So the basic assumption for every question we have is that whatever we agree has to be truly global. And the fact of the matter that in all these areas, there are big differences of use, not just the example you've given, but many other areas, I could give you five different examples of differences among the members. What we in CTED try to do is to find a common way forward. We're not looking on specific member state's concerns, because there are concerns for all of them, including India, it has its own concern. We are trying to see how can we look on the issues forward, it means compromise, very often compromise because of constitutional issues, because of geopolitical issues. This is something that member states need to look at and sort out. We cannot do it as professionals. But what we try to do is within the context of what's there to find a common ground and allow to mitigate the risk. We have done it. It's not us. The CTC has done it over 20 years, with huge successes on many areas that we dealt with, and I hope and I think that's why we're all coming here that the atmosphere that India will bring and the alarm that have been ringing in many capitals regarding these new technologies will bring another spirit of cooperation despite many differences. Thank you.
Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Ma’am on the crypto, would you like to say anything?
Ms. Ruchira Kamboj (PR, PMI NY & CTC CHAIR): Actually my answer is very short and simple. The answer to that is a yes because one of the focus areas of this meeting is also, as I've mentioned in my opening remarks, new payment technologies and fundraising methods, and in fact, in Mumbai, there is an informal session immediately after the soft focus, soft opening with a focus on countering the financing of terror in both local and global context. And so there will be a focus on misuse of emerging payment methods, and online funding methods. Thank you.
Manish Chand: My name is Manish Chand, India Writes Network. My question is, you know, states practicing terrorism as an instrument of state policy or sponsoring terrorism, continue to use double speak, continue to indulge in double speak, as pointed out, what kind of leverage Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate, Counter Terrorism Committee has to call their bluff, to make them really stop these activities from going on. And the second is, in terms of outcome, what specific steps you talk about, you know, stopping the abuse of emerging new technologies, are there some country specific proposals? How does this committee work and what kind of solutions we can expect from them? Thank you.
Dr. David Scharia (Head of Branch, UN-CTED): On the first question of state sponsorship of terrorism, the main tool that the committee has, is, as was mentioned by the chair is visiting countries through us, we are the long arm of the Committee, but eventually, it is the committee that actually visits the country and we go from one country to another, all 193 countries. And when we go we ask questions, we ask simple questions, we ask tough questions. And we usually get to the bottom of many of the issues you're addressing in your question. Our delegations are consisted of first CTED colleagues, experts in their team. But we also bring with us experts from other bodies, from Interpol, from World Customs Organization, from the ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, etc. And very often sometimes (inaudible) for another member of that grouping. With that large of a team spending a usually a week in a country we don't leave any issue unquestioned. Sometimes we are happy with the answers. Sometimes we're not, we report back to the Security Council Committee. And they usually take up some questions and some reports are subject of some very detailed discussions within the committee. So that's on your first question. Second question was addressed to me or to someone else?
Manish Chand: What I'm asking is that at the end of this meeting, I mean, I'm not trying to pre-empt the outcome, but essentially, what kind of outcomes, specific outcomes we can expect in terms of concrete initiatives to thwart the abuse of emerging and new technology.
Dr. David Scharia (Head of Branch, UN-CTED): How about you come to the meeting? Do you have any plans for Saturday? If you can come, there will be wonderful experts coming there, great and brightest mind will think collectively, what can we do and we will, of course, collate what they bring, analyse and synthesize it. And right now the CTC is discussing negotiating what the specific outcome would be. But one thing I hinted in my remarks is that it will be the beginning and not the end. There will not be a solution at the end of the meeting, but it will be a process that the CTC and the members will commit to.
Ms. Ruchira Kamboj (PR, PMI NY & CTC CHAIR): If I may add that the committee will continue to remain seized of the issue, even after this meeting. It's an ongoing process.
Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Anything else you want to add sir?
Shri Sanjay Verma (Secretary (West)): Well yes of course, one can’t pre-empt the outcome document, because that would rest on the discussions taking place over the 28th and 29th of October. But this is a process, it is not the meeting to end all our troubles. But the fact that it is being held in Mumbai, and it is a recognition, you could probably argue that it could have been done earlier, but it is a recognition that this world is not ready to see another 26/11. I think that in itself is a statement and beyond that it is a process I mentioned FATF, I mentioned the ministerial - 'No Money For Terror'. These are separate journeys on the counter terrorism narrative with one common aim. And because this is a terrain, which doesn't allow for binaries, there are a lot of gray areas and a lot of manoeuvring space for country positions, which are removed from the larger objective of eliminating terrorism from this planet. It will be a slow, painful process, but events like this, the CTC meeting in India, in the 75th year of India's independence, I think it's also part of a larger global footprint, where we engage in the world not only in terms of climate change, but counter terrorism, G20 presidency, I think the larger sweep of India's engagement could also be appreciated through this event.
Srinjoy: Sir, Srinjoy Chowdhury from Times Now. A day will come when it will not be necessary to send 10 terrorists across to Bombay and that is because with increasing technological advances UAVs are getting a longer range and they are getting heavier and they can carry more payloads. Now, will there be any discussion on technology denial, vis a vis drones, because they could well be the next big weapon for terrorists.
Dr. David Scharia (Head of Branch, UN-CTED): So very quickly, the answer is yes. I cannot tell you what will be the outcome of the discussions because member states are discussing. And as we said, it's the beginning of the process. And again, one of the things that India has done to this issue is that it put it through this meeting at the center of Security Council discourse. And not just for that weekend, for years to come, because hopefully, that outcome document will pave the way, again, not for the solution, but for how we're going to approach these problems that are going to remain with us for many years. Thank you.
Narayanan: Hi my name is Narayanan from German television. Will there be any special intelligence sharing arrangement among these countries? If yes, what will be that?
Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: I'm not sure that was very much focus of the Counter Terrorism Committee Meeting, which will be aired live, and public but I will let the experts...
Dr. David Scharia (Head of Branch, UN-CTED): I could say very quickly, they say that the best meetings are the meetings that what happens outside the room is more interesting than what happens inside the room.
Manash: This is Manash from PTI, Press Trust of India. My question is to Mr. David Scharia. Sir, India has been driving the global voice to deal with terrorism I believe all the world powers to just unite themselves and to deal with issue. So what is the significance of hosting of this conference, key conference in India when India has been facing the problem of terrorism, cross border terrorism, particularly from Pakistan for last several decades. I just want to ask you about the significance of hosting of this.
Dr. David Scharia (Head of Branch, UN-CTED): I could say I think we are grateful to India, because these issues have been discussed for a long time among experts. And I think the last question was addressing experts are concerned, governments are concerned and until one government says, Okay, let's take it to the Security Council and let's leave everything else we do. And as you know, there is a lot happening around the world these days. Let's leave everything else we do, and focus on these three questions, because these are very big concerns for all of us. I think that's leadership.
Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Thank you. Last question there.
Kallol: Kallol from the Hindu. I just want to know, given the importance of Afghanistan in terms of as a source of terrorism and also narcotics, how would you deal with it, especially since Taliban is in power in Afghanistan? I mean, what are the concerns that may come up in the meeting about Afghanistan?
Shri Sanjay Verma (Secretary (West)): Well, I am not in a position to sort of second guess, what will be discussed, but in the general expectations, I think, regions which have been reasons for concern in terms of destabilizing the neighbourhood or the region or have had a history and you don't have to look far for that, will invariably in some form or the other be part of the discussions.
Ms. Ruchira Kamboj (PR, PMI NY & CTC CHAIR): I just wanted to clarify very quickly that this special meeting is not focused on any particular country, it is more global in nature. And we have already identified and elaborated upon the three themes that will be the focus of discussions and the whole idea is to strengthen engagement and cooperation with each other with a specific focus on the themes of the conference. Thank you.
Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Thank you very much. Let me take this opportunity to thank our permanent representative and Chair of CTC, Madam Ruchira Kamboj, as well as to Secretary (West), Shri Sanjay Verma as well as to Dr. David Scharia, Head of the Branch, Director of the CTED and to Prakash Gupta, Joint Secretary UNP, also to my colleagues from the media and our guests and friends from the United Nations system and CTED who are here today. Thank you for joining us on a special briefing. We will continue to bring you hopefully live and as well as in real time basis, the developments that are coming up over the next two days, starting from Friday and Saturday. So please stay tuned to our channel. Thank you.