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All-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad back from Europe
During their Europe tour, the delegation held key meetings with government officials, parliamentarians, and think-tanks in countries including Germany
ANI
The all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad returned to India on Sunday after a diplomatic tour of several European nations. The delegation arrived at airport in the national capital following a multi-nation visit aimed at strengthening India's ties with European partners.
Speaking to the media upon arrival, Prasad said, "It feels great to be back in India. Our delegation visited France, Italy, Denmark, England, Brussels and Germany. We met senior leaders of the Parliament, think-tank and the Indian community. The foreign nations have a lot of anger over the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and all the nations have condemned this. We went to the European Parliament as well. The Indian community was very excited to meet us. A new relationship is going to be established between India and Europe. It was a very satisfying visit..."
The recent visit by the all-party Group-2 delegation, led by BJP MP Prasad, took place amid growing international concern over terror attacks, notably the Pahalgam incident in Jammu and Kashmir, which has drawn widespread condemnation from global partners.
During their Europe tour, the delegation held key meetings with government officials, parliamentarians, and think-tanks in countries including Germany.
In Germany, they conveyed India's firm stance of 'Zero-Tolerance against Terrorism' and outlined strategies to combat cross-border terrorism, emphasizing the gravity of the Pahalgam attack, as highlighted in a statement from the Indian Embassy in Germany. The delegation also engaged with the Indian diaspora to strengthen support and build closer ties between India and Europe.
"During its first day of engagements in Berlin, the All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, led by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon'ble Member of Parliament & former Union Minister, met with senior representatives from German Government, Parliament (Bundestag) and Think-Tanks to convey India's principled position of 'Zero-Tolerance against Terrorism' and its strategy to tackle cross-border terrorism, especially in light of the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. The delegation also briefed the German counterparts and interlocutors about Operation Sindoor - India's firm, precise, targeted and non-escalatory response to the terror attack", a statement said.
As per the statement, the delegation called on Johann Wadephul, Foreign Minister of Federal Republic of Germany. Recalling his recent interaction with Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, Wadephul reiterated Germany's strong support for India's fight against terrorism and the right of every nation to defend itself from such terror attacks.
The statement observed that the delegation deeply appreciated Germany's strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack and expression of solidarity with India. The delegation also emphasized the need to hold the perpetrators of terrorist acts accountable and called for multi-lateral cooperation in this regard.
The delegation called on Omid Nouripour, Vice President of the German Parliament (Bundestag) and outlined the three salient features of India's policy in dealing with terrorism- Zero tolerance, not giving in to nuclear blackmail and resolving the issues with Pakistan bilaterally. The delegation emphasised that terrorism is a global threat and must be met with a unified international response.
The delegation also met with Armin Laschet, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of Bundestag, Ralph Brinkhaus, Member of Bundestag (MdB) and Hubertus Heil, MdB. The delegation conveyed their appreciation for prompt expression of condolences for victims of the Pahalgam terror attack by Germany's top political leadership. They highlighted that the attack was designed to disrupt the booming tourism economy of Jammu & Kashmir and to sow seeds of communal tension in India, as per the official statement.
It further observed that during their interaction, the delegation emphasised that Operation Sindoor received support from across the spectrum in India and conveyed India's united stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
The delegation interacted with senior members of German Parliament (Bundestag) active in the fields of foreign policy and international affairs and a leading think-tank in Germany, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS). Ending the day's engagements, the delegation also had an interaction with representatives from leading German think-tanks and eminent personalities at a reception hosted by Ambassador of India to Germany, Ajit Gupte, the statement read.
Notably, during the interactions, the delegation highlighted the measured, precise, responsible and non-escalatory nature of the steps taken by India in response to the terrorist attack. They emphasised that nuclear blackmail should not be allowed as a cover for terrorism and discussed India's strategy against cross-border terrorism in future. German interlocutors expressed support for India's stance, with a shared recognition of the urgent need for the international community to come together in the fight against terrorism.
Both sides also discussed India-Germany cooperation in the field of Defence, Security and Counter-Terrorism as part of the deepening Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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