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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Central Asian nations condemn Pahalgam attack, resolve to fight terror
The Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries Friday unequivocally condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and stressed that the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terror acts must be held accountable and brought to justice. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosted the India-Central Foreign Ministers dialogue, which took place after more than three-and-half years. The meeting was attended by Kazakhstan Deputy PM Murat Nurtleu, Kyrgyz Republic's Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev, Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov. The ministers also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the joint statement, the countries condemned the Pahalgam attack and 'reaffirmed their firm commitment to fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence, goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations.' 'They stressed that perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice. In this context, they called for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism,' it said. 'They stressed the need to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and FATF standards,' it said. The ministers, as per the statement, reiterated their 'strong support for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan which is free from terrorism, war and drugs… The Ministers agreed to continue close coordination and consultations on matters related to Afghanistan'. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar appreciated the Central Asian nations that 'stood by India and condemned the heinous terrorist attack' while reaffirming that it would be a 'trusted development partner' for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. He said the cooperation between India and Central Asia received a 'quantum boost' following the PM's visits to all five countries in the region in 2015. Jaishankar said both India and the Central Asian nations are committed to advancing mutually beneficial cooperation in areas of trade and investment, defence, regional connectivity, security and new and emerging technologies. According to the joint statement, 'The ministers emphasized optimum usage of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to enhance connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries' while 'India reiterated its support for the membership of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in INSTC'. The ministers also appreciated the First meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group on Chabahar Port held in Mumbai in April 2023. India welcomed the interest of Central Asian countries to utilize the services of Shahid Beheshti Terminal at the Chabahar Port for facilitating their trade with India and beyond. As per the statement, they also 'expressed interest in joint exploration of rare earth and critical minerals. Appreciating the outcomes of the first India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum held in September 2024 in New Delhi, they called upon the relevant authorities to hold the second India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum meeting at the earliest convenience. The Ministers also encouraged exchange of delegations to explore new areas of cooperation in critical minerals'. They also agreed to prepare ground to hold the second India-Central Asia Summit at a mutually convenient date in 2025.
The Print
6 days ago
- Business
- The Print
5 foreign ministers from central Asia to attend India-hosted conclave
Foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are attending the conclave to be held in Delhi. New Delhi is hosting the fourth edition of Central Asia Dialogue to forge closer, wider and stronger partnership with the region, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). New Delhi, Jun 4 (PTI) India will host foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries at a conclave on Friday with a focus on jointly combating terrorism and boosting cooperation in areas of trade and technology. India has been looking at enhancing its cooperation with the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the last few years amid China's persistent efforts to expand its influence in the region. The conclave is expected to be chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. 'India and Central Asia, in each other's 'Extended Neighbourhood', enjoy close and cordial contemporary diplomatic relations underpinned by millennia old cultural and people-to-people exchanges,' the MEA said in a statement. The first India-Central summit was held virtually in January 2022. The mechanism of India-Central Asia Dialogue, at the level of foreign ministers, have taken this relationship substantially forward, the MEA said. 'The ministers will discuss further strengthening of relations between India and Central Asian countries with particular focus on trade, connectivity, technology, and development cooperation,' it said. 'They will also share perspectives on challenges to regional security and other regional and global issues of mutual interest,' it added. Ways to deal with challenge of terrorism will also be discussed, people familiar with the matter said. 'The India-Central Asia Dialogue is a manifestation of mutual interest on the part of India and the Central Asian countries to forge even closer, wider and stronger partnership in a spirit of friendship, trust and mutual understanding,' the MEA said. The foreign ministers will also participate in the India-Central Asia Business Council that will be hosted by on Thursday by the MEA in collaboration with FICCI. The India-Central Asia Dialogue, launched in January 2019 in Samarkand, is a meeting of foreign ministers. It serves as a key platform for strengthening ties between India and Central Asia. The second meeting took place virtually in October 2020 and focussed on regional security, counter-terrorism, and infrastructure development. The third meeting was held in New Delhi in December 2021 and emphasised connectivity to further deepen the ties between India and Central Asia. PTI MPB ZMN This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
