The United States and India on Monday stood shoulder to shoulder against terrorism, and vowed to fight the scourge jointly through intelligence-sharing and operational-level counterterrorism cooperation.
A White House statement following a meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narednra Modi also sought Pakistan curbing any terrorist activity from its territory.
“The leaders called on Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries,” the statement said after two leaders embraced each other and held extensive talks on bilateral defense, economic and trade cooperation and regional and international issues including Afghanistan.
“They further called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, Pathankot, and other cross-border terrorist attacks perpetrated by Pakistan-based groups,” according to the statement.
The explicit reference to the need for Pakistan to act against terrorism is being interpreted as Washington and New Delhi sharing views on the challenge of terrorism.
Analysts note that both Trump and Modi want to put their countries first.
Trump and Modi also stressed that terrorism is a global scourge that “must be fought and terrorist safe havens rooted out in every part of the world.”
They resolved that India and the United States will fight together against this grave challenge to humanity.
“They committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups including Al-Qa’ida, ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, D-Company, and their affiliates.
India & USA are global engines of growth. @POTUS & I discussed ways to strengthen the economic & trade relationship between our nations. pic.twitter.com/OyTITg8B4m
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 26, 2017
India appreciated the United States designation of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen leader as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist as evidence of the commitment of the United States to end terror in all its forms.
“In this spirit, the leaders welcomed a new consultation mechanism on domestic and international terrorist designations listing proposals.”
“The leaders announced increased cooperation to prevent terrorist travel and to disrupt global recruitment efforts by expanding intelligence-sharing and operational-level counterterrorism cooperation. ”
The statement said Trump and Modi welcomed commencement of the exchange of information on known and suspected terrorists for travel screening. They further resolved to strengthen information exchange on plans, movements and linkages of terrorist groups and their leaders, as well as on raising and moving of funds by terrorist groups.
“The leaders also affirmed their support for a U.N. Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that will advance and strengthen the framework for global cooperation and reinforce the message that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism.”
They also pledged to work together to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and to deny access to such weapons by terrorists and non-state actors.
In marking 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and the United States, the leaders resolved to expand and deepen the strategic partnership between the countries and advance common objectives.
“Above all, these objectives include combating terrorist threats, promoting stability across the Indo-Pacific region, increasing free and fair trade, and strengthening energy linkages. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence that, together, the United States and India will provide strong leadership to address global challenges and build prosperity for their citizens in the decades to come.
Significantly, the statement noted that as responsible stewards in the Indo-Pacific region, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi agreed that a close partnership between the United States and India is central to peace and stability in the region.
India is often seen as a counterweight to a rising China in Washington and its longtime rivalry with Beijing gives it a favorable standing among experts. Besides, the United States has expanded its economic and trade interests in the bilateral relations with major investments and defense deals.
On Afghanistan, President Trump welcomed further Indian contributions to promote Afghanistan’s democracy, stability, prosperity, and security.
“Recognizing the importance of their respective strategic partnerships with Afghanistan, the leaders committed to continue close consultations and cooperation in support of Afghanistan’s future.”
Featured Image on the top from Indian PM Modi’s Twitter Account
