Countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in cross-border counterterrorism at the end of an international meeting on Wednesday.

“We agreed that there needs to be an attempt to prevent the cross-border movement of terrorists through an intelligence cooperation and border security,” Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto told a press conference on the sidelines of the International Meeting on Counterterrorism in Nusa Dua.

The meeting was attended by ministers and senior officials from 23 countries, including Australia, the US, Belgium, the Philippines and Singapore. Representatives from ASEAN, Interpol and the EU also attended the meeting, in which Vice President Jusuf Kalla delivered the keynote address.

The one day meeting was conducted back-to-back with the Counterterrorism Financing Summit being held at the same venue from Monday until Thursday, co-hosted by Indonesia and Australia,

Wiranto said the meeting also agreed to encourage global information-sharing, cooperation between deradicalization centers and called upon the UN to increase its role in counterterrorism and handling the root problems of terrorism, as well as finalizing the comprehensive convention on international terrorism.

Wiranto emphasized that many important issues had been discussed during the meeting, including cybertechnology, which has been used by terrorists to gain supporters.

“Cybertechnology should be utilized to prevent terrorist networks from using the internet as a means to spread propaganda, recruit people and to conduct cybercrime,” he said.

He added that returning foreign terrorists were to be monitored through cooperation in intelligence and information-sharing, as well as best practices on border control.

Australian Attorney General George Brandis said cooperation between countries was badly needed to counter terrorism.

“Forums such as this that bring together ministers, senior officials and technical experts from around the world are unique opportunities to engage and open dialogue between international and regional partners on key security issues and discuss how together we can work to address them,” he said.

“At a time when terrorist networks seek to exploit national borders and use the internet to insight, plan and execute violence extremism, there has never been a more important time for countries to work together, to share experiences, information and intelligence to cut what we all know to be a truly global threat,” Brandis added.

Meanwhile, the Counterterrorism Financing Summit has agreed to carry out regional risk assessment. This assessment focuses on terrorism financing methods and channels currently presenting the highest risk.

“This summit creates the same perception, the same wishing and goodwill in order to prevent, to indicate and to combat terrorist financing. Because as a country that consists of thousands of islands, Indonesia is very concerned about terrorist activity. So, by collaborating with Australia and other countries, it will be easy for us to overcome the problem, especially with regard to terrorist financing,” Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) head Muhammad Yusuf said.

Yusuf said the PPATK had uncovered the flow of cash from others countries to Indonesia suspected to be used to fund terrorist activities. According to the center’s records, cash has flowed from at least 10 countries. Yusuf, however, declined to elaborate on the matter.

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