India on Friday voiced disappointment over the European Union’s “muted response” to the Uri attack, asserting terrorism was the “most significant security threat” to both India and the EU which deserves greater attention. Proposing scaled up counter-terror cooperation between India and the 27-nation bloc, secretary (west) in the MEA Sujata Mehta also emphasised on the need for an “effective and comprehensive” global regime under UN through which the phenomenon of terrorism — whether state sponsored or through non-state actors — be dealt with “firmly and effectively.”
Noting that India has been a “victim of terrorism from across our border and on account of terrorism being used as an instrument of state policy,” Ms Mehta, in her keynote address at a seminar on ‘India-EU Cooperation in Security and Global Governance Domains’, also pitched for early adoption of the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) by the UN General Assembly. “EU too has called for the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to be brought to justice, and again, as India does, the EU is in favour of decisive and united action against groups and entities ranging from ISIS, Al Qaeda and its affiliates and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizb-ul- Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network. While counter-terrorism arrangements may be established by and through states, the EU that brings together 28 states can articulate a common position on this. I should add that there are concrete levers that are available to use to signal that resort to terrorism as state policy is not acceptable. Here I would like to express some disappointment at the relatively muted response of the EU to the Uri attack,” she said.
As many as 19 soldiers were killed in the Uri attack carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists.
“India would like to scale up cooperation with the EU in the field of CT. The shared concerns of India and EU on terrorism, including from Foreign Terrorist Fighters and from returning jihadis makes it imperative for us to intensify our cooperation,” She said.
“Let me mention at this point that, the last India-EU summit was held in Brussels on 30th March, 2016 eight days after the horrific terror attacks in that city. As such the challenge of greater support for and synergy in combating the threat of terrorism was of foremost significance. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I would insist that terrorism is one of the most significant threats to the security of India and of the European Union and deserves greater attention,” she added.
