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India, Indonesia emphasise zero tolerance to terror; favour cooperation

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IANS New Delhi

India and Indonesia on Monday discussed the threat posed by global terrorism and other transnational crimes and emphasised "zero tolerance" for terror acts.

Both countries also resolved to significantly enhance bilateral cooperation in combating terror, money laundering, arms smuggling, human trafficking and cyber crime.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations in the strongest possible terms and commended the working of a Joint Working Group on counter-terrorism, a joint statement issued here said.

The statement said the two leaders expressed "great concern" over the growing menace of terrorism and called upon all countries to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 and other relevant resolutions on designating terrorist entities.

 

They called upon all countries to work towards eliminating safe havens and infrastructure for terrorists, disrupting terror networks and finance channels, and stopping cross-border terrorism.

As strategic partners and maritime neighbours, the two countries emphasised the importance of further consolidating security and defence cooperation between the two countries.

In this regard, they directed for early convening of the Defence Ministers' dialogue and the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meetings to review and upgrade the existing Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defence to a substantive bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement.

Stressing the importance of regular bilateral consultations through robust dialogue mechanism, including Ministerial and Working Group Mechanisms, Modi and Widodo agreed to hold annual summit meetings, including on the margins of multilateral events.

They underscored the importance of pluralism, democracy, and the rule of law as key values to achieve peaceful co-existence.

The two leaders welcomed the convergence in political, economic and strategic interests of the two countries that provide an enduring basis for a long-term strategic partnership.

Modi and Widodo welcomed the progress made under sectoral Joint Working Groups on coal, agriculture, counter-terrorism, health, and combating trafficking in narcotics, drugs, psychotropic substances and its precursors since the last meeting between the two leaders in November 2014 in Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Taw.

They reaffirmed the importance of parliamentary exchanges between the two democracies and expressed satisfaction over the regular visits of parliamentary delegations.

Modi and Widodo also expressed satisfaction over the growth in trade and investment ties between India and Indonesia.

They recognised the importance of a predictable, open and transparent economic policy framework to facilitate greater two-way trade and investment and to promote private sector-led economic growth.

They said the two nations are committed to build upon close historical and cultural links through promotion of arts, literature, music, dance, and archaeology under the cultural exchange programme 2015-2018.

--IANS

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First Published: Dec 12 2016 | 6:06 PM IST

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