Societies targeted by terrorism have right to defend themselves: Jaishankar
"Zero-tolerance for terrorism must be an uncompromising universal norm,” he said.
India today (31 January) said societies targeted by terrorism have the right to defend themselves against the scourge and would exercise it.
Addressing the second edition of India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting in New Delhi, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, "A common threat in both our regions to these objectives is that of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Cross-border terrorism is particularly unacceptable because it violates the basic principles of international relations and diplomacy."
He also called for strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism. "Zero-tolerance for terrorism must be an uncompromising universal norm."
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Jaishankar said India has strong partnerships with all League of Arab nations and in many cases, maturing to a strategic level. "Much of that is rooted in history, where we have long exchanged goods, people and ideas."
The Middle East/West Asia has some of India's largest expatriate communities, key energy sources, major trade relationships and increasingly, emerging technology and connectivity initiatives, he said.
Jaishankar said India and the Arab countries "are crucial to each other when it comes to food security and health security".
He further said the global order is undergoing transformation for a variety of reasons. "Politics, economics, technology and demography are all fully in play. Nowhere is this more apparent than in West Asia or the Middle East where the landscape itself has undergone a dramatic change in the last year."
