Modi govt. adopting zero tolerance policy towards terror — MHA

New Delhi, Nov. 12 (PTI): The Modi government is adopting a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism and will convey to the international community India’s determination in its fight against the menace.

The Union Home Ministry said the government is organising the third Ministerial ‘No Money for Terror’ (NMFT) conference on November 18 and 19 in New Delhi where representatives of 75 countries and international bodies will participate in the deliberations over two days.

Hosting of the NMFT conference shows the importance being given by the Modi government to the issue of international terrorism as well as its zero tolerance policy against the menace and having discussions on this issue in the international community, a home ministry statement said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be participating in the conference and will convey India’s determination in its fight against terrorism as well as its support systems for achieving success against it.

The conference aims to progress the discussions on combating terrorist financing held by the international community in the previous two Conferences in Paris (2018) and Melbourne (2019), the statement said.

It also intends to include discussions on technical, legal, regulatory and cooperation aspects of all facets of terrorism financing.

It attempts to also set the pace for other high level official and political deliberations, focused on countering terrorist financing.

Globally, countries have been affected by terrorism and militancy for several years. The pattern of violence differs in most theatres, but is largely engendered by a tumultuous geo-political environment, coupled with prolonged armed sectarian conflicts, the statement said.

Such conflicts often lead to poor governance, political instability, economic deprivation and large ungoverned spaces. The involvement of a compliant state often exacerbates terrorism, especially its financing.

India has suffered several forms of terrorism and its financing over more than three decades, hence it understands the pain and trauma of similarly impacted nations, the statement said.

In order to display solidarity with peace-loving nations and to help create a bridge for sustained cooperation on countering terrorist financing, India was host to two global events in October – the annual General Assembly of the Interpol in Delhi and a special session of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee in Mumbai and Delhi. The forthcoming NMFT conference will further India’s efforts to build understanding and cooperation amongst nations, it said.

Discussions at the 3rd ‘No Money For Terror’ conference will be focussed on global trends in terrorism and terrorist financing, use of formal and informal channels of funds for terrorism, emerging technologies and terrorist financing and requisite international co-operation to address related challenges, the statement said.

Jaishankar meets Ukrainian counterpart, discusses recent regional developments, ways to end Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Phnom Penh, Nov 12 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday held a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and both the leaders discussed recent developments in the region, nuclear concerns and ways to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Jaishankar met Kuleba on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India summit here in the Cambodian capital.

“Pleasure to meet FM @DmytroKuleba of Ukraine. Our discussions covered recent developments in the conflict, the grain initiative and nuclear concerns,” he tweeted.

Jaishankar’s meeting with Kuleba came days after he went on a two-day visit to Russia amid growing global concerns over increasing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

It was Jaishankar’s first visit to Moscow after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.

Jaishankar is accompanying Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar who is leading the Indian delegation to the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit here.

Ukraine Foreign Dmytro Kuleba took to Twitter and said that he discussed bilateral cooperation and ways to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“My Indian counterpart @DrSJaishankar and I met to discuss bilateral cooperation and ways to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. I emphasized that Russia must immediately cease deadly attacks, withdraw all troops from Ukraine, and commit to peace. We also focused on global food security,” Kuleba tweeted.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

Since the Ukraine conflict began in February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a number of times.

During their bilateral meeting in October on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, Modi pressed Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine soon, saying “today’s era is not of war” even as he called for finding ways to address the global food and energy security crisis.

In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said there can be “no military solution” and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts.

India has also said the suspension of the Black Sea Grain initiative is expected to further exacerbate food security, and fuel and fertiliser supply challenges faced by the world, particularly in the global South.

Russia suspended the initiative after an attack on its ships in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol in the Crimean peninsula.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative is the agreement on the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The initiative resulted in the export of more than nine million tonnes of grains and other food products out of Ukraine.

During his visit to Moscow from November 7 to 8, Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

On the Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar referred to Prime Minister Modi’s message to President Putin in September and underlined that the global economy is simply too inter-dependent for a significant conflict anywhere, not to have major consequences elsewhere.

“We are seeing growing concerns on energy and food security from the conflict that are coming on top of severe stresses created by two years of Covid. The Global South, especially, is feeling this pain very acutely,” Jaishankar said in Moscow.

“India, therefore, strongly advocates a return to dialogue and diplomacy. We are clearly on the side of peace, respect for international law and support for the UN Charter,” he added.