BRICS Summit 2017: Pakistan has not been named in the declaration adopted by BRICS. While it is a close ally of China, the statement makes a strong reference on the need for states to act against terror.
BRICS nations condemned terror in a strongly-worded declaration
Pakistan has not been named in the declaration adopted by BRICS
PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral talks with Xi Jinping tomorrow
NEW DELHI:
India today scored a significant diplomatic win as BRICS nations at a summit in China named, for the first time, Pakistan-based groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani network in a strongly-worded declaration condemning terror.
"We strongly condemn terrorist attacks resulting in death to innocent Afghan nationals. We, in this regard, express concern on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban, ISIL/DAISH, Al Qaida and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, TTP and Hizb ut-Tahrir," said the declaration issued by BRICS countries or Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, at the summit in Xiamen.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the summit and will hold talks with President Xi Jinping of China tomorrow, their first meeting after the prolonged Doklam standoff ended last month.
Pakistan has not been named in the declaration adopted by BRICS. While it is a close ally of China, the statement makes a strong reference to the need for states to act against terror.
"We deplore all terrorist attacks worldwide, including attacks in BRICS countries, and condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever and stress that there can be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism. We reaffirm that those responsible for committing, organizing, or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable," said the statement.
Getting China - in China - on board in a statement that refers to Pakistan-based terror is important since they had resisted the same at last year's summit in Goa.
However, experts say this does not signal any big difference in Beijing's policy on Pakistan, one of its closest allies.
While this is the first time that a BRICS declaration has named Pakistan-based terror groups, a similar declaration was made in Amritsar during the Heart of Asia conference on Afghanistan last December. There too, the Lashkar and Jaish were named and Pakistan and China, who are members, were both in the meeting.
Jaish was banned way back in 2001 by the UN. China has made a distinction between the group and its chief Masood Azhar. China has repeatedly blocked efforts by India at the United Nations to designate the Masood Azhar a terrorist. The US, UK, France and other countries are backing India.
BRICS Summit 2017: Tomorrow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping are expected to hold their first bilateral talks since the Doklam standoff when they meet formally on the sidelines of the BRICS meet.
XIAMEN, CHINA: BRICS leaders today strongly condemned and named in a declaration, for the first time, Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani network. PM Narendra Modi is in Xiamen to attend the summit of BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - and will hold bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping tomorrow. The two leaders greeted each other with a warm handshake and broad smiles before the meeting.
"We deplore all terrorist attacks worldwide, including attacks in BRICS countries, and condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever and stress that there can be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism," the BRICS resolution said.
Earlier, while speaking at the plenary session of the summit, PM Narendra Modi sought a strong BRICS partnership to spur growth, saying the bloc of emerging economies has developed a robust framework for cooperation and contributed to stability in a world "drifting towards uncertainty".
PM Modi said trade and economy were the foundations of cooperation in BRICS and called for the creation of a BRICS rating agency to cater to financing needs of sovereign and corporate entities of developing countries. He met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazilian President Michel Temer on the sidelines of the summit today.
"I wish to announce here that China will launch the economic and technical cooperation plan for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries with 500 million yuan for the first term to facilitate policy exchange and practical cooperation and in the economic and trade field," Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the opening ceremony.
PM Narendra Modi and President Xi had met informally at the G20 summit in Germany in July, but their last bilateral talks were in June this year, when they met in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
That meeting had come amid growing differences between the two nations over a host of issues, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and China's opposition to India's efforts to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Later that month, Indian soldiers stopped China from building a road in the remote, uninhabited territory of Doklam, claimed by both China and Bhutan, resulting in a stand-off near the Sikkim border that lasted over two months.
Last Monday, the External Affairs Ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing had decided on "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the Doklam area.
On Sunday, Xi Jinping, without directly referring to the Doklam tension, underlined that "peace and development" should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want "conflict and confrontation." At today's inaugural session, Mr Xi said, "Despite our differences in national conditions, our five countries are in similar stages of development and share the same development cause."
After the BRICS Summit, PM Modi will travel to Myanmar on a bilateral visit on Tuesday. The trip includes a visit to the historic city of Bagan and Yangon. He will also interact with the Indian community in the country.
Pak-based terror groups named in BRICS declaration for first time
At the ninth Summit of the grouping, the BRICS leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever.
According to officials, Modi raised the issue of terrorism strongly at the Summit and was joined by other leaders, who expressed willingness to fight this menace.
XIAMEN: For the first time, Pakistan-based terror groups like the LeT and the JeM were named today in the Summit declaration of the BRICS countries+ that also asserted that those responsible for committing, organising or supporting terror acts must be held accountable.
In a significant diplomatic win for India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was joined by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Michael Temer and South African President Jacob Zuma in strongly denouncing terror activities of such groups, as they expressed determination to collectively fight the scourge.
The 43-page 'Xiamen Declaration', adopted at the end of the five-nation BRICS plenary, stressed on the need for immediate cessation of violence in Afghanistan.
It expressed "concern" over the security situation in the region and the violence caused by the Taliban, ISIS, al-Qaeda and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Hizb ut-Tahrir.
At the ninth Summit of the grouping, the BRICS leaders also condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever.
They stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism.
"We reaffirm that those responsible for committing, organising, or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable," the statement said.
Highlighting the primary leading role and responsibility of states in preventing and countering terrorism, the grouping emphasised on the necessity to develop international cooperation, in accordance with the principles of international law, including that of sovereign equality of states and non-interference in their internal affairs.
According to officials, Modi raised the issue of terrorism strongly at the BRICS Summit and was joined by other leaders, who expressed willingness to fight this menace.
"For the first time specific listing of terror organisations has been made (in the BRICS declaration)," Secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry Preeti Saran told reporters.
The inclusion of Pakistan-based terror groups in the declaration is also significant as it indicated a slight shift in the Chinese view towards terror groups operating out of Pakistan.
Ahead of the BRICS Summit, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson had said, "We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at the BRICS Summit."
During the last BRICS Summit in Goa, China did not allow inclusion of Pakistan-based terror groups in the declaration despite the fact that the Summit was taking place within weeks of the Uri terror strike carried out by a Pakistan-based militant group.
However, now it is to be seen that after being part of such a strongly-worded declaration on terrorism and indicting Pakistan-based terror group JeM, how China will act towards the designation of Jaish's chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN.
Currently, China has put a hold on the proposal moved by the US and some other countries at the UN's Sanction's Committee.
The declaration referred to terrorism at least 17 times, apart from mentioning other forms of extremism and radicalisation. During the BRICS Summit here, India also offered to host a conference on countering radicalisation.
Talking about India's position on terrorism, Saran told reporters, "Terrorism is a scourge that has to be addressed collectively by the entire international community. And, I think, increasingly there is a realisation that you cannot have double standards in tackling this scourge."
"You cannot have good and bad terrorists. It is a collective action," she said.
Saran also said that prime minister Modi also raised the issue of speeding up the long-pending UN Security Council reforms during the Summit.
The BRICS countries also called upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism.
They said that the approach should include "countering radicalisation, recruitment, movement of terrorists including Foreign Terrorist Fighters, blocking sources of financing terrorism including, for instance, through organised crime by means of money-laundering, supply of weapons, drug trafficking and other criminal activities, dismantling terrorist bases, and countering misuse of the Internet including social media by terrorist entities through misuse of the latest Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)."
The BRICS leaders conveyed their commitment to prevent and counter the growing spread of terrorist narratives, and to tackle all sources, techniques and channels of terrorist financing.
They also recalled the responsibility of all states to prevent financing of terrorist networks and terrorist actions from their territories.
"We call for swift and effective implementation of relevant UNSC Resolutions and the FATF International Standards worldwide. We seek to intensify our cooperation in Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF-style regional bodies (FSRBs)," the BRICS declaration said.
The BRICS also strongly deplored the nuclear test conducted by North Korea.
"We express deep concern over the ongoing tension and prolonged nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, and emphasize that it should only be settled through peaceful means and direct dialogue of all the parties concerned," the BRICS said.
PM Narendra Modi Says GST Biggest Reform in India
In a big win for India, the joint declaration of BRICS on Monday condemned Pakistan-based terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also called for joint action on terrorism. The PM will meet meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, trade and terror are likely to be on the agenda. The meeting gains significance as it is the first exchange between the two leaders after the month-long Doklam standoff.
Modi, Putin talk strategic partnership, cooperation in oil and gas
Russia’s support would have been crucial for India to have prevailed on China to include the names of specific terror groups in the BRICS statement released on Monday.
Trade and investment figured prominently in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazil’s President Michael Temer on the sidelines of the BRICS summit here on Monday.
Modi and Putin touched on various aspects of bilateral ties, Indian diplomats said, adding trade and investment was among the issues the two leaders discussed. They also discussed cooperation in the oil and natural gas sector.
“Furthering a special & privileged strategic partnership,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted, tagging photos of Modi and Putin shaking hands and sitting for talks.
Briefing the Indian media later, Kumar said the two leaders spent a lot of time discussing different aspects of bilateral ties.
The meeting between Modi and Putin came three months after they met in St Petersburg in June for the annual India-Russia summit, and at the SCO meeting in Astana the same month where India was made a permanent member of the organisation.
At the St Petersburg summit, the two sides signed an agreement for building Units 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, and decided to give new direction to their defence cooperation.
While the focus is on Modi’s meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, his meeting with Putin assumes significance not only in the context of BRICS but also to keep bilateral ties on track.
Russia’s support would have been crucial for India to have prevailed on China to include the names of specific terror groups in the Xiamen statement released earlier on Monday.
Xi also met Putin on Sunday evening, when the two leaders agreed “to appropriately deal with the latest nuclear test conducted” by North Korea. According to official Xinhua news agency, Putin said it is significant for China and Russia to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and to boost communication and coordination on major international and regional issues.
Putin added Russia stands ready for closer cooperation with China in areas such as investment, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and aerospace and aviation.
