New Delhi, India. Terrorism dominated President Nikos Christodoulides’ meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House during Christodoulides’ state visit. The two leaders signed a joint declaration condemning terrorism and endorsing stronger international cooperation.
Joint declaration on terrorism
The joint declaration said the leaders “categorically and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.” Christodoulides offered Cyprus’ “solidarity and unwavering support to India in its fight against cross-border terrorism.”
Condemnation of attacks and calls for accountability
The leaders “condemned in the strongest terms” a mass shooting in the town of Pahalgam in April last year, which was followed by two and a half weeks of conflict between India and Pakistan, and a car bombing at the Red Fort in Delhi last November. They said those responsible should be held accountable and called for “decisive and concerted international efforts to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained matter in accordance with international law.”
Multilateral cooperation and UN convention
The declaration called for strengthening “multilateral efforts to combat terrorism” and for the proposed United Nations comprehensive convention on international terrorism to be finalised in an “expeditious” manner. It also urged “strong and concerted action against all UN- and EU-designated terrorists and terrorist entities.”
Countering extremism, financing and technology misuse
The leaders underlined the need for cooperation to counter violent extremism and radicalisation, the financing of terrorism and money-laundering, and to prevent the exploitation of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes and to tackle terrorist recruitment.
Safe havens and joint working group
They called for the “elimination” of “terrorist safe havens and infrastructure,” for “terrorist networks” to be “disrupted,” and for the financing of terrorism to be combated. The leaders reiterated a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, rejecting double standards, state sponsored terrorism and any justification for such acts, and welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding establishing a joint working group on counterterrorism.
What steps would you like to see international bodies take to strengthen cooperation against terrorism?