The European Union and Pakistan held their ninth Counter-Terrorism Dialogue in Brussels on 20 February. The EU and Pakistan discussed cooperation on counter-terrorism, as part of their wider engagement on Security matters in the framework of the 2019 Strategic Engagement Plan.

The European Union and Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and confirmed their steadfast commitment to fight it.

The Dialogue allowed for an exchange on regional and global challenges, including the security implications of the situation in Afghanistan and in other regions, including the Middle East.

They confirmed the importance of a strong cooperation with international partners in multilateral fora. This includes the work in the United Nations and in the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, which the EU has been co-chairing since 2022.

The European Union and Pakistan also discussed areas for exchange of best practices and for concrete cooperation, with a focus on common actions on prevention and countering of violent extremism, recruitment and movement of foreign fighters, radicalisation, and combating terrorism financing, among other relevant topics that are crucial to address the growing challenges posed by terrorism.

The respective delegations 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 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.