Terrorism 'Gravest Threat' in Asia, Says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

Dushanbe: Terrorism poses the "gravest threat" to the people in Asia and terrorists and their victims must never be equated, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Saturday.

Addressing the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit in the Tajik capital, Jaishankar said that the CICA members are the victims of terrorism.

"Terrorism is the gravest threat we face in Asia. CICA members are its victims and so it should be clear that terrorists and their victims must never be equated," he tweeted. His statement came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the SCO Summit in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, lashed out at countries "sponsoring, aiding and funding" terrorism and said that such states must be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

The CICA is a pan-Asia forum for enhancing cooperation and promoting peace, security and stability in Asia. Ahead of the Summit, Jaishankar was welcomed by President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.

Jaishankar said India supports a peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. "All initiatives and processes must include all sections of Afghan society, including the legitimately elected government," he said.

Globalisation is under stress due to new geo-political and geo-economic faultlines. India supports a rule based order, he said. "The India-Central Asia 5 dialogue format is big positive for cooperation and stability across regions. "India's vision of the Indo-Pacific is rooted in SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and in sync with CICA's goals," Jaishankar added.

The new External Affairs Minister arrived here on Friday for the 5th CICA Summit. The theme of the summit is "Shared Vision for a Secure and More Prosperous CICA Region". The Summit will adopt a declaration covering issues of cooperation within CICA.

During the Summit, the CICA leaders are likely to deliberate on the existing and emerging issues of common concern and underline implementation of confidence building measures for developing Asia into a prosperous, secure and peaceful region.

India is a member of the CICA since its inception and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had participated in the first CICA Summit held in 2002 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. India has been actively participating in various activities conducted under the aegis of CICA.