Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government, through the National Counter Terrorism Agency (BNPT), and Slovakia are strengthening bilateral cooperation in countering terrorism, especially at the national, regional, and global levels.
According to a statement from BNPT on Monday, in strengthening the cooperation, Deputy for International Cooperation of BNPT Andhika Chrisnayudhanto advised that both countries should focus on protecting children who are victims of terrorism.
"We also focus on protecting children exposed to conflict, such as the RD case in Slovakia," Chrisnayudhanto remarked.
The deputy emphasized that children are victims of terrorism, not its perpetrators, and expressed hope that this matter would gain international attention.
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Chrisnayudhanto also highlighted the increasingly complex global challenges in combating terrorism, where women and children are now not only victims but also perpetrators.
"Although countermeasures have shown positive results, the threat remains, especially with the involvement of women and children in terrorist activities, both as victims and perpetrators," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Senior Specialist Referent from the Slovakia Police Anti-Terrorism Center Major Martin Baran explained that his country faces challenges in combating terrorism, especially from individuals who radicalize themselves and refugees returning from conflict zones.
To that end, his side prioritizes monitoring online radicalization through sophisticated technology as well as strengthening border control and intelligence sharing.
"This is very important in preventing extremism and supporting deradicalization efforts," he affirmed.
BNPT and Slovakia hope to create a more comprehensive standard for handling terrorism, from prevention to victim rehabilitation.
Further meetings are planned to discuss the implementation of the agreed agenda and review the success of ongoing programs.
Since establishing close cooperation in 2019, Indonesia and Slovakia continued to demonstrate a high level of commitment to dealing with the threat of global terrorism.
The two countries agreed to share experiences and strategies, including in child protection and strengthening the deradicalization system. The collaboration is expected to become a model for productive bilateral cooperation at the international level.
