Terrorism/terror find 37 mentions in BRICS Declaration: MEA

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Thursday said that the words "terrorism and terror" were used some 37 times in the Goa Declaration of BRICS Summit.

Briefing media persons, Swarup stated that BRICS leaders strongly condemned the recent attacks in India.

The Congress had termed the Goa Declaration of BRICS an "abject failure" of the government, as there was no mention of the word "terror" in the condemnation of the Uri attack and no reference to Pakistan.

"When we negotiate in a forum like BRICS, the attempt is to find common ground and to express it in a declaration," said Swarup.

"The Goa Declaration contains the strongest-ever language against terrorism among all past BRICS summits. The word terrorism/terror features some 37 times in the Declaration," he added.

Swarup said: "Terrorism was accorded the centrality at the Goa Summit in a more substantive manner than even the Antalaya G20 Summit, which was held in the shadows of Paris terror attack."

Swarup also went on to summarise the BRICS Declaration's emphasis on terrorism.

He underlined that there was unprecedented condemnation of terrorism, adding that "BRICS leaders for the first time called upon all states to prevent terrorist action from their territories".

He maintained that BRICS leaders agreed that religion is no justification for terrorism.

"They for the first time called for effective implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution on Counter Terrorism. They also called for increasing effectiveness of the UN Counter Terrorism Framework."

Swarup said BRICS leaders called upon all states to counter terrorism, radicalisation, recruitment, terrorist movement, dismantling of terrorist bases, money laundering and drug trafficking.

"They called for expedited adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) and also recongnised the growing nexus between WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and terrorism.

--IANS

sid/nir/vt