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  India   All India  13 Dec 2016  India, Indonesia to boost ties for fighting terror

India, Indonesia to boost ties for fighting terror

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Dec 13, 2016, 3:50 am IST
Updated : Dec 13, 2016, 7:09 am IST

They also called upon all countries to implement the UNSC Resolution 1267 and other relevant resolutions designating terrorist entities.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and his wife H.J. Iriana during a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo: Pritam Bandyopadhyay)
 President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and his wife H.J. Iriana during a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo: Pritam Bandyopadhyay)

New Delhi: In the presence of visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India and Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation — asked all countries to work towards eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, seen by observers as a clear message to Pakistan.

New Delhi’s success in getting the world’s largest Muslim majority nation on board on its concerns on cross-border terrorism is seen as a huge boost to India’s efforts to put Pakistan on the mat for support to terrorism.

In a clear indication towards China and its military assertion in the South China Sea, India and Indonesia “urged all parties to resolve disputes through peaceful means without resorting to threat or use of force and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities, and avoid unilateral actions that raise tensions”. The two countries also agreed to strengthen defence and security ties with a major focus on maritime space and deepen cooperation for effectively combating terror, its financing, money laundering and arms smuggling.

A joint statementstated, “The two Leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations in the strongest terms, emphasising ‘zero tolerance’ for acts of terror. They noted with great concern the growing menace of terrorism and violent extremism and its universal reach.

They also called upon all countries to implement the UNSC Resolution 1267 and other relevant resolutions designating terrorist entities. They called upon all countries to work towards eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, in disrupting terrorist networks and financing channels, and stopping cross-border terrorism.

They underlined the need for all countries to deal with trans-national terrorism emanating from their territory by effective criminal justice response. In that regard, the two Leaders called for enhanced cooperation including through greater exchange of information and intelligence between the two sides.” The reference to UNSC Resolution 1267 indicates clear Indonesian support for India’s efforts to get JeM chief Masood Azhar banned by the UN.

“As the world’s most populous Muslim nation Indonesia stands for democracy, diversity, pluralism, and social harmony. These are also our values,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, in his address before the media in the presence of the visiting Indonesian President.

The statement is being seen as strong support by India for moderation in the Muslim world compared to Pakistan which is seen to be actively backing terrorism. In a gesture, PM Modi also wished the Indonesians on the occasion of the Milad-un-Nabi festival in their Bahasa Indonesian language. “Prime Minister Modi and President Widodo noted that India and Indonesia are friendly maritime neighbours with deep civilisational links between the people of the two countries, including the common heritage of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam,’ the Joint Statement said.

In an obvious indication of the situation in the South China Sea in the wake of Chinese military assertion and maritime disputes with some ASEAN nations, the Joint Statement also said, “The two Leaders reiterated their commitment to respecting freedom of navigation and over flight, and unimpeded lawful commerce, based on the principles of international law, as reflected notably in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In this context, they urged all parties to resolve disputes through peaceful means without resorting to threat or use of force and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities, and avoid unilateral actions that raise tensions. As the leaders of the State Parties to the UNCLOS, they emphasised that all parties should show utmost respect to the UNCLOS, which establishes the international legal order of the seas and oceans. Regarding the South China Sea, the two sides stressed the importance of resolving disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law including the UNCLOS.” A separate Joint Statement on Maritime Cooperation, outlining the agenda of bilateral engagement in the area was also issued which stated, “Both leaders committed to maintaining a maritime legal order based on the principles of international law, as reflected notably in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)”.

The two countries with impressive growth rates also decided to boost bilateral trade and investment, particularly in areas like oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, IT and skill development. A joint statement issued after the talks said the two leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations in the strongest terms, emphasising “zero tolerance” for acts of terror. “Both countries signed three agreements—-an MoU on Youth Affairs and Sports, an MoU on Standards  and a Joint Communique on Illegal and Unauthorised Fishing,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Emphasising on the need to improve connectivity and encourage people-to-people contact, the two leaders also welcomed Garuda Indonesia’s decision to commence direct flights from Jakarta to Mumbai.

“It (Indonesia) is the largest economy in South East Asia. And, India is one of the fastest growing large economies in the world. As two large democracies and major emerging economies, we have shared economic and strategic interests,” PM Modi said.

Regarding defence and security ties, the two leaders gave a directive for early convening of the Defence Ministers’ Dialogue and the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meetings to review and upgrade the existing ‘Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Fields of Defence’ to a substantive bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement.

“As strategic partners and maritime neighbours, the two leaders emphasised the importance of further consolidating the security and defence cooperation between the two countries,” the statement said.

In a statement, the MEA said, “This is the first visit of President Joko Widodo to India after assuming power in October 2014. The President is accompanied by his spouse, Mrs Iriana Widodo, as many as seven Cabinet Ministers, senior officials and a 22-member very high level Business delegation from Indonesia. The visiting dignitary inspected a Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning of 12 December and also lay a wreath at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi. The Indonesian President met the Prime Minister and held delegation level talks on 12 December. The Prime Minister hosted a lunch in honour of the visiting Indonesian President and his delegation.”. The Indonesian President will wrap up his visit on Tuesday. 

Tags: joko widodo, modi, indonesia