A strong counterterrorism statement that mentioned Pakistan, terrorist
outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, and a condemnation of the recent attacks in
Gurdaspur and Udhampur were the hallmarks of the ever-converging
strategic interests that were flagged in the joint statement by India
and U.S. after their first ever Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said “We reiterate the threat
posed by al-Quaeda, LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed, D-Company, the Haqqani
Network and other regional groups that seek to undermine stability in
South Asia,” adding that India and the U.S. called for Pakistan “to
bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.”
The joint statement went further to “strongly condemn the July 27 15
terrorist attack in Gurdaspur, Punjab and the August 5 2015 attack in
Udhampur, Kashmir.”
For U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s part, he reiterated
Washington’s hope that India would also join the fight against the
Islamic State, the jihadist outfit that controls parts of Syria and
Iraq, and he said “India has pledged to be a key partner in [the
conversations surrounding the global fight against IS] and I am grateful
to them…”
This firm stance on fighting terror threats also appeared to be a
recognition of India’s expanding footprint as a global power, and Mr.
Kerry went on to express his gratitude to New Delhi for other global
collaborative efforts including a new bilateral troop-training
initiative in six African countries, which are sending peacekeepers to
the U.N. The agenda item that appeared to receive top billing in the
bilateral dialogue alongside counterterrorism was climate change and
clean energy, where both sides agreed to a host of new initiatives
including, an “Oceans Dialogue” to promote the development of the “blue
economy” and the launch of a Fulbright Climate Change Programme, “to
facilitate the exchange of key research and information.”
No comments:
Post a Comment