COPENHAGEN, 16 February 2021 – On Monday, Chair of the OSCE PA Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism (CCT) Reinhold Lopatka (Austria) addressed the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM)’s Joint High-Level Virtual Event on the “Challenges of the post-territorial ISIL context.”

In his remarks, at the Panel on Regional Cooperation and Strengthening Counter-Terrorism Efforts, Lopatka stressed the need to support the prosecution and deradicalization efforts of the local authorities in Syria and Iraq and the urgency to deal with radical and extremist movements in Europe. Underlining the excellent partnership established between the OSCE PA, PAM and UNOCT, Lopatka presented main activities of the CCT to counter terrorism.

The CCT Chair mentioned his visit to Syria, underlining the terrible conditions for internally displaced persons and family members, including children, of former terrorist fighters. He stated that, for instance, most of the 500 women and 950 children in camp Al-Roj have the citizenship of a European country.

In addition, he reminded that countering terrorism should be a priority for all countries, even at the times of crises, and highlighted the importance of keeping in mind the latest developments regarding radical right-wing extremist groups. Lopatka stressed that the multifaceted terrorist threat cannot be countered without a well-co-ordinated action in the form of strong national and international partnerships.