India today said the global fight against terrorism should not only seek to disrupt and eliminate terrorists and terror groups, but also identify, isolate and penalise States who encourage and provide sanctuary to them.
Terming terrorism as the "single most significant threat to peace and stability in our region", Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said there was an urgent need for measures to counter and prevent the spread of violent extremism and radical ideologies.
"We need to stand united against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he said at the 2nd Summit of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) here.
Singh said there can be no justification for acts of terror on any ground whatsoever.
"Terrorism knows no boundaries. We need to resolve to eradicate this evil from our region and beyond.
"We strongly believe that the global fight against terrorism should not only seek to disrupt and eliminate terrorists, terror organisations and networks, but also identify, isolate and penalise States who encourage support and finance terrorism, provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues.
"There should be no glorification of terrorists and there is nothing called a 'good terrorist," he said.
He said the countries would be failing their people if they do not pledge to use all the mechanisms available to us bilaterally and multilaterally to rid us of this fundamental threat to our societies, communities and nations.
"All our resolve to create a peaceful prosperous community will fail unless we cooperate with each other to end this menace," he said.
Calling ACD an important forum that brings together so many of our people, Singh said, "This organisation was born out of a felt need to address challenges faced by countries of Asia from the global financial and economic crises. This Summit is therefore timely, given the challenges that our nations face today."
ACD is an inter- governmental organisation created on June 18, 2002 to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level and to help integrate separate regional organisations such as ASEAN, SAARC, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Eurasian Economic Union.
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Singh said, "If the 21st century is to truly be an Asian Century, if Asia is to emerge as the engine of world economic growth, our nations have to be far more interconnected than what we are. This connectivity has to begin at the sub-regional level, progress to the regional and then expand to link regions.
"In our sub region of Bangladesh, Bhutan India and Nepal, we are already seeing significant progress in this connectivity through roads, railways, waterways, pipelines and electricity grids.
"The trilateral highway through Myanmar will connect this sub-region with Thailand and eventually to other ASEAN countries. India has offered a billion US dollars to ASEAN countries for connectivity projects including digital connectivity," he said.
Singh said India is reaching out to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries through port and highway development with Iran.
"Our SAGAR initiative (Security And Growth for All in the Region), martime cooperation and emphasis on Blue Economy seeks to enhance cooperation among coastal and island nations of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific," he said.
India, he said, sees connectivity projects as essentially cooperative ventures that address the requirements and concerns of partner countries and not as unilateral initiatives to serve a national purpose.
India, a founding member of the ACD, is always ready to play a positive role in furthering the organisation's agenda and in pursuing its objectives.
