Bangalore, October 27
Coordinated action against international terrorism was mooted after a meeting of the foreign ministers of India, Russia and China here on Tuesday.
“Concerted trilateral action against international terrorism, transnational crime and drug trafficking would promote stability and an all-round development in today’s interdependent world,” read a joint statement, issued after the ninth meeting of the tripartite forum, RIC. Transnational terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan were two key issues discussed at the meeting attended by SM Krishna of India, Yang Jiechi of China and Sargay Lavrov of Russia.
The foreign ministers expressed concern at the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan due to “continued terrorist attacks”. The meeting condemned the terrorist attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul earlier this month and underscored the need for strict observance of the sanctions against persons and entities listed by the UN Security Council committee on Al-Qaida and Taliban.
The ministers hoped that the run-off for the post of President of Afghanistan would be a peaceful affair and said the international community must adhere to its commitment of providing assistance to the government and people of Afghanistan in ensuring security and development. The delegates condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that there could be no justification for any act of terrorism. In the context of strengthening international cooperation against terrorism, the ministers urged all UN member states to urgently adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
The convention, introduced by India in the UN in 1996 to deny terrorists funding and safe haven, is being
held up due to differences among the member states over the definition of terrorism.The ministers also took note of Afghanistan’s role as a leading supplier of narcotics in the region and called for close cooperation between the International Security Assistance Force, the coalition force and the Afghan government to curb the menace.
The RIC foreign ministers welcomed the recent talks in Geneva relating to the Iranian nuclear programme. They shared the view that while Iran was entitled to the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, it must fulfill the “international obligations”. The ministers felt that all possible efforts should be made to address the Iran nuclear issue by peaceful means.
Foreign ministers of India and China also supported Russia’s initiatives in the Islamic militancy affected Caucasus region.
The three countries agreed that enhanced engagements among them would strengthen their influence on the process of democratisation of international relations and development of multipolar world order.
Earlier, while addressing mediapersons, the three foreign ministers read out separate statements underscoring the points of convergence among the participating countries. They, however, refused to entertain questions from the media.
