New Delhi, May 5 (IANS): India and Russia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation in bilateral as well as other multilateral platforms, during the 12th India-Russia joint working group on counter-terrorism.

The 12th round of bilateral consultations of the India-Russia joint working group on counter-terrorism took place between May 3 and 4 in Moscow, which was attended by Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry Sanjay Verma.

The bilateral consultations also focussed on UN and multilateral issues, official sources said, adding that both the sides shared their experiences in combating terrorism and extremism and discussed current terrorist threats at the global and regional level.

"The Russian side expressed appreciation for India's role as Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council in 2022 and welcomed the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration that had focussed on combating the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes," a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry said.

The joint working group was co-chaired by Verma and Oleg Syromolotov, Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Representatives of respective departments and agencies from both sides also participated in the meeting.

The India-Russia bilateral consultations on UN-related issues were held on May 4 between Verma and Rusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Vershinin.

Both sides held wide ranging discussions on several issues pertaining to the UN Security Council, including its reform.

Russia reiterated its support for India as a permanent member in a reformed UN Security Council, the statement said.