New Delhi, Dec 5: India and Russia on Friday called for an “uncompromising” global fight against terrorism without “hidden agendas and double standards” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that the menace is a direct attack on the values of humanity.
At their summit talks, Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and Moscow’s Crocus City Hall and strongly pitched for a “zero tolerance” policy on terrorism.
The two leaders voiced their strong commitment to prevent and counter terrorism in all its forms including cross-border movement of terrorists and terror financing.
“India and Russia have long cooperated shoulder-to-shoulder in the fight against terrorism. Be it the terrorist attack in Pahalgam or the cowardly attack on Crocus City Hall — the root of all these incidents is the same,” he said.
The terror attack on Crocus City Hall in March was reportedly linked to terrorists from ISKP (Islamic State — Khorasan Province) that operates from the Afghan-Pakistan border region.
“India firmly believes that terrorism is a direct attack on the values of humanity and that global unity against it is our greatest strength,” he said.
In their talks, Modi and Putin also sought measures against international terrorist groups, including ISIS, ISKP and their affiliates.
The Russian president landed in New Delhi last evening to a red-carpet welcome with Modi personally receiving him at the airport and later hosting a private dinner for him that largely set the tone for the 23rd India-Russia annual summit.
A joint statement released following the summit said Modi and Putin unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism as unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation.
“They also called for concerted actions against all UN-listed terrorist groups and entities, including Al Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh and their affiliates, aimed at rooting out terrorists’ safe havens, countering the spread of terrorist ideology, eliminating terrorist financing channels and their nexus with transnational crime, and halting cross-border movement of terrorists,” it said.
It said the sides called for an “uncompromising fight” against international terrorism and extremism in all their forms and manifestations, noting the importance of increasing cooperation in this area without hidden agendas and double standards on the solid basis of international law and the UN Charter.
“Besides, they stressed the need for firm implementation of relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, as well as the balanced implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,” it said.
India and Russia also emphasised the primary responsibility of states and their competent authorities in combating terrorism.
“They called for a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and expeditious finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN framework, as well as implementation of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council resolutions on countering terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism,” the joint statement said.
The two sides also recalled the special meeting of the UN Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee held in India in October 2022 and referred to the unanimously adopted Delhi Declaration on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes.
India and Russia noted that the declaration aimed to cover the main concerns surrounding the terrorist exploitation of information and communications technology, such as payment technologies, social media platforms and fundraising methods and misuse of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones).
“Both sides also expressed their readiness to develop further cooperation in this field with a special focus on preventing radicalisation and the spread of extremist ideology in the online space,” the statement said.
The two sides also noted the close coordination between India and Russia on Afghanistan.
They emphasised the important role of the Moscow Format meetings.
Modi and Putin welcomed the counter-terrorism measures against international terrorist groups, including ISIS and ISKP (Islamic State — Khorasan Province) and their affiliates, and expressed confidence that the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan would be comprehensive and effective.
“They stressed the need to ensure urgent and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people,” the joint statement said. (PTI)
