NSA underscores India's policy to use digital technology for inclusive economic development

National security advisor Ajit Doval has underscored India’s policy to use digital technology for inclusive economic development.

Speaking at the international security meet organised by Russia in St Petersburg on Wednesday, Doval also called for international cooperation for an open, stable, secure, reliable and inclusive framework to ensure information security.

At the meeting’s plenary session, titled Ensuring Information Security in the Polycentric World, Doval underscored that India will continue cooperation with the international community for countering misuse of information and communication technologies by terrorists and criminals, as also for countering terror funding.

He suggested that all stakeholders—from governments to private sector, academia, technical communities and civil society—should collaborate for an inclusive framework for ensuring information security.

The NSA also called for regular institutional dialogues to help develop common understanding on critical issues.

He called for capacity building of like-minded nations through training, education, awareness programmes and development of security standards for emerging technologies, besides creation of mechanisms for cooperation at domestic and international levels.

On the sidelines of the meet, Doval met his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev—their second meeting this month—to discuss bilateral security and defence partnership.

“On the sidelines of the XII International Meeting of High Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters in St Petersburg, NSA Ajit Doval had a bilateral meeting with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation,” the Indian embassy in Moscow said in a post on X. “Both sides reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and discussed important issues of mutual interest.”

Doval, who enjoys a strong personal chemistry with Patrushev, had met him in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, earlier this month and discussed measures to strengthen counter-terror cooperation.

In St Petersburg, Doval also met his counterpart from Myanmar Admiral Moe Aung and raised growing concern in New Delhi about the deteriorating security situation in the India-Myanmar border areas amid intensifying clashes between the ruling junta and rebel groups.

“On the sidelines of the XII International Meeting of High Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters in St Petersburg, NSA Shri Ajit Doval had a bilateral meeting with his Myanmar counterpart Admiral Moe Aung and talked about the current situation in Myanmar and India-funded infrastructure projects in Myanmar,” said a statement after the meeting.

Earlier this month, the ministry of external affairs said that the government was forced to shut down its consulate in Myanmar’s Sittwe and relocate the staff to Yangon.

On Wednesday Doval also spoke at a luncheon meeting of NSAs of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) grouping hosted by Patrushev and called for closer cooperation in the fight against terrorism and concrete actions to prevent trans-border planning, funding and execution of terrorist acts.