VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 Indonesia and Egypt have forged cooperation in counterterrorism marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the Egyptian Home Affairs Ministry.

The MoU was signed by BNPT Chief Commissioner General Suhardi Alius and Egyptian Home Affairs Minister Major General Mahmoud Tawfik in Cairo on Tuesday (Feb 26).

Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Helmy Fauzi and Main Secretary of BNPT Asep Adang Supriyadi were present during the signing ceremony.

Alius cautioned that radical groups have changed their strategy in recruiting supporters of their actions and use the social media to recruit, brainwash, propagate, and transfer their ideology.

"This strategy is an easy alternative for radical groups to spread their influence transnationally," he noted in a statement on Wednesday.

The radical terrorist network in Indonesia is highly influenced by dynamism and development of global terrorists, particularly those in the Middle East, he stated.

Hence, it is not surprising if several members of the Indonesian terrorism network joined ISIS. Moreover, ISIS` influence in Asia exists in the three countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

"This is the time for Indonesia and Egypt to establish cooperation in the fight against terrorism and violence-based terrorism," Alius affirmed.

The signing of the MoU on counterterrorism was initiated in 2013, according to Ambassador Fauzi.

Earlier, the BNPT had sent delegations thrice, respectively in 2013, November 2014, and March 2018, to discuss the draft of the MoU.

"We believe that both Indonesia and Egypt could learn from each other`s experiences in counterterrorism, as terrorism is a transnational crime," he added. (ant)