Jaishankar calls for enhanced cooperation to deal with terrorism called among BRICS countries
Total Views |
New Delhi, September 05: Raising the issue of terrorism in Afghanistan and West Asia, India once again called for enhanced cooperation among the five-nation grouping BRICS in dealing with the threat of terrorism during a virtual meeting of the BRICS Ministers held on Friday.
Addressing the BRICS Foreign Ministers' meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized the paramount importance to comply with and to strengthen the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (BTWC), including by adopting a Protocol to the Convention that provides for, inter alia, an efficient verification mechanism.
The Ministers also stressed the need for a comprehensive and balanced approach of the whole international community to effectively curb the terrorist activities, which pose a serious threat, including in the present-day pandemic environment. Furthermore, Jaishankar also emphasised the need to reform the United Nations to reflect contemporary global realities and the feelings of millions of people in the world.
Exchanged views on the international situation and regional hotspots including Afghanistan and West Asia.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 4, 2020
Urged full support of BRICS in reforming UNSC as an exercise in our collective faith in meaningful multilateralism.
They also expressed concerns at the rise of violence and continuing conflicts in different parts of the world that have a significant impact on both the regional and international levels. The Ministers emphasized the need for launching multilateral negotiations on an international convention for the suppression of acts of chemical and biological terrorism at the Conference on Disarmament to address the threat of chemical and biological terrorism.
The Ministers welcomed the outcomes of the 5th BRICS Counter-Terrorism Group (CTWG) and its subgroups’ inaugural meetings on 31 August – 2 September 2020 which further advanced BRICS cooperation in the areas of countering terrorism and its financing, foreign terrorist fighters, radicalization, the use of the Internet for terrorism purposes and capacity building. They expressed satisfaction at the approval of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy by the CTWG.
They reaffirmed that the BTWC is the core instrument for biological and toxin weapons. Its functions, including in what concerns the UN Security Council, should not be duplicated by other mechanisms. Efforts aimed at the resolution of implementation issues should be consistent with the BTWC.
Jaishankar also called for reformed multilateralism including the restructuring of international bodies like the World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund, World Health Organisation, etc.
They also exchanged views on major international and regional issues in the political, security, economic, trade, financial, and sustainable development spheres, as well as reviewed the progress in intra-BRICS activities. They discussed also the possibilities for mutual support of their initiatives and closer cooperation at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.