UAE, India talk tough on terror

Mumbai - The two countries released a joint statement on Friday at the end of the three-day visit to India by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE and India on Friday came out strongly against extremism and terrorism in all forms and manifestations, and reiterated that any justification for terrorism or links between extremism and religion should be strongly rejected by the international community.
The two countries released a joint statement on Friday at the end of the three-day visit to India by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Shaikh Mohammed, who led a large delegation comprising ministers and business leaders from the UAE, later flew into India's commercial and financial capital. In the afternoon, he was honoured at the Bombay Stock Exchange and also attended a bell ringing ceremony.
The joint statement reiterated the condemnation by the two nations for efforts, including by states, to use religion to justify, support and sponsor terrorism against other countries, or to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
The two sides also deplored efforts by countries to give religious and sectarian colour to political issues and pointed out the responsibility of all states to control the activities of the so-called 'non-state actors', and to cut all support to terrorists operating and perpetrating terrorism from their territories against other states.
They deplored the use of double standards in addressing the menace of international terrorism and agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism both at the bilateral level and within the multilateral system.
Praising their growing bilateral cooperation to combat international terrorism, the two leaders expressed confidence that these efforts would contribute to global peace and security. The two leaders announced their decision to enshrine the new strategic direction of the UAE-India relationship in a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, setting out the principles on which the UAE-India partnership is based, and outlining a roadmap for deepening cooperation.
India also expressed deep appreciation for the solidarity expressed by the UAE on the terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in early January.
nithin@khaleejtimes.com

• India