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India, Russia call for ‘irreversible, verifiable’ action on terror havens
The Indian delegation at the 11th meeting of the joint working group on counter-terrorism Terrorism was led by Vijay Thakur Singh, secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry, and the Russian side was led by deputy foreign minister Oleg V Syromolotov.
New Delhi India and Russia on Tuesday called for “credible, irreversible, verifiable and sustainable” action against terror groups, with Moscow extending tacit support for New Delhi’s campaign against terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil.
A joint statement issued after a meeting of the India-Russia joint working group on counter-terrorism in New Delhi said the two sides discussed threats posed by terrorist entities globally and in their respective regions, as well as “ongoing concerns over terrorism in the South Asia region”.
“They stressed the need for elimination, once and for all, of all safe havens of terrorists. They also underlined the urgent need for meaningful, credible, irreversible, verifiable and sustainable action against terrorists and terrorist groups,” the statement said, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.
India has cited terrorism sponsored by Pakistan as one of the reasons for its decision in August to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Since then, India has repeatedly called on Pakistan to take “credible, irreversible and verifiable” action against terror groups acting from its soil.
The Indian delegation at the 11th meeting of the joint working group on counter-terrorism Terrorism was led by Vijay Thakur Singh, secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry, and the Russian side was led by deputy foreign minister Oleg V Syromolotov.
Both sides condemned terror in all forms and manifestations and emphasised the need for strengthening global cooperation to combat the menace in a comprehensive and sustained manner “without any double standards”, according to the statement.
They also highlighted their efforts on some of the world’s most pressing counter-terrorism challenges, including countering radicalisation and extremism, misuse of the internet for terrorist purposes, movement of foreign fighters, and combating the financing of terrorism, including drug trafficking.
The two sides discussed measures to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation through intensifying the exchange of information, regular meetings of experts, and capacity building in all areas of mutual interest in line with the special strategic partnership between the two countries.
They also agreed on united efforts to fight terror and terrorism financing at multilateral forums, including the UN, BRICS, Financial Action Task Force and SCO. It was decided the next meeting of the group will be held in Russia.
