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Counterterrorism key issue in Narendra Modi’s meetings with US, Quad partners
India and the US bilaterally and then with their Quad partners Australia and Japan have denounced “cross-border terrorism”, usually a pointer to Pakistan; the use of terrorist proxies and emphasised the need to cut logistical, financial and military support to terrorists.
India and the United States bilaterally and then with their Quad partners Australia and Japan on Friday strongly denounced “cross-border terrorism”, usually a pointer to Pakistan; the use of terrorist proxies and emphasised the need to cut logistical, financial and military support to terrorists.
Counterterrorism along with free and open Indo-Pacific, the fight against Covid-19 and climate change emerged as key common issues of concern and discussion for the two platforms that met one after the other at the White House on Friday.
US President Joe Biden hosted his first bilateral summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then the first ever in-person summit of the Quad, joined by Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japan’s Yoshihide Suga. The American and Japanese leaders ended the day with their own separate bilateral meet.
At the India-US bilateral summit, the two sides agreed that the issue of terrorism remains very important. “Counterterrorism efforts in cooperation between the two countries will be given a lot of emphasis,” foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said briefing reporters on India’s participation in the two meetings. “Both sides denounced any use of terrorist proxies and emphasise the importance of denying logistical financial or military support to terrorist groups, which could be used to plan, or launch terror attacks.”
The India-US joint statement said “the two leaders reaffirmed that both countries stand together in a shared fight against global terrorism, and will take concerted action against all terrorist groups, including groups proscribed by the UNSCR 1267 Sanctions Committee, condemned cross-border terrorism, and called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to be brought to justice”.
Pakistan’s continued support of terrorism came up in the context of Afghanistan, and its continued support for a “certain approach” that was not seen seem to be conducive to the international community’s expectations of what Afghanistan should be like.
Pakistan’s support of terrorism was brought up by US Vice-President Kamala Harris, unprompted, during her discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
As a long-time victim of terrorism, most of it emanating from across its western border, India has made counterterrorism key foreign policy objective. It has been a part of the India-US dialogue for years now. And, it became on Friday a key element of the Quad agenda at India’s insistence.
“I think we are looking at fairly strong language with regard to the Quad’s commitment on terrorism and the need to counter terrorism, anywhere in the world,” the foreign secretary said, speaking to India’s role in making counterterrorism an issue for the Quad as well. “It reinforces the Quad’s thinking on this issue, and the need to combine efforts to, to deal with this common scourge,” he added.
The Quad joint statement said: “We denounce the use of terrorist proxies and emphasised the importance of denying any logistical, financial or military support to terrorist groups which could be used to launch or plan terror attacks, including cross-border attacks.”
At the Narendra Modi-Joe Biden bilateral meeting, the two sides also discussed the need to reinvigorate trade talks, enhance cooperation on defence production, intensify joint efforts on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic through vaccines, climate change, people to ties, which included H-1B visas for specially skilled workers and other issues that the two sides are engaged in at the same time.
The India-US agenda is so exhaustive that President Biden said the summit meeting should have been allocated two days, Shringla said. It went on for 30 minutes overtime.
At the historic first in-person summit, the Quad announced the launch of several new initiatives such as a fellowship for 100 students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields annually, a working group to enhance cooperation between the four countries on space, a new infrastructure partnership, formation of a Green-Shipping network, establish a clean-hydrogen partnership; publish a Quad statement of principles on the use of technology.
