State-sponsored terrorism biggest challenge: Sushma Swaraj

Swaraj stressed that members of BIMSTEC represent the polar opposite of a terrorism promoting polity

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said the BRICS summit in Goa recognised “state-sponsored and state-protected terrorism” as the biggest challenge to the world.

“State-sponsored and State-protected terrorism is the biggest challenge: BRICS Summit saw a growing recognition that there cannot be business as usual when it comes to dealing with terrorism,”  Swaraj said.

Addressing the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) media forum in New Delhi, Swaraj also said the world community “must be prepared to extract costs for those who sponsor and support terrorists, who provide them sanctuary, and who, despite their own claimed victimhood, continue to make the false distinction between good and bad terrorists.”

Addressing the media at the inauguration of the BRICS Media forum, Swaraj said, "BRICS Summit saw a growing recognition that there cannot be business as usual when it comes to dealing with terrorism. State sponsored and state protected terrorism is the biggest challenge."

"Terrorism was universally accepted as a key to threat to stability, progress and development. Consequently, it featured strongly in the, conference narrative and its eventual outcome. Indeed, what we saw was not just an understanding of the dangers posed by terrorism to the economic aspirations of the world but a growing recognition that this has now become a truly global challenge that the international community can ignore at its peril," she added.

Swaraj further stressed that members of BIMSTEC- Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri-lanka and Thailand- today represent the polar opposite of a terrorism promoting polity.

"They are focused on improving the quality of life of their people, on skills and employement, on education and health and on the quality of governance and the deepening of democracy. These are nations, who are actively promoting connectivity, cooperation and contacts amongst themselves. Their interface with the BRICS is the message in itself," Swaraj said.

In the wake of several SAARC nations coming out in support of New Delhi following the Uri attack and the subsequent cancellation of the bloc's summit in Islamabad, India on Monday said Pakistan has been isolated due to its own policies and it has nothing to do with it.