All-party delegation in Italy underscores India's firm stance on terrorism

An all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar has met senior Italian officials to reaffirm India's "zero-tolerance" stance on terrorism and New Delhi's resolve to combat all forms of terror.

The eight-member team is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan's designs and India's response to terror.

The group, which arrived in Rome on Tuesday, had a "productive" meeting with former foreign minister Giulio Terzi on Wednesday.

"Led by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Delegation, had a productive meeting with Senator @GiulioTerzi, President of the India-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group and its Members," the Indian embassy in Rome said in a post on X. 

"The Indian delegation voiced India's resolute stance on combating terrorism and zero tolerance to all forms of terror," it said.

Both sides also reaffirmed the significance of India-Italy strategic partnership and the potential for elevating bilateral cooperation.

The delegation also held an interaction with Italy's Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Maria Tripodi.

"Constructive exchange with the Indian parliamentary delegation visiting the @SenatoStampa. Italy and India united by strategic partnership, work together to address the common challenges of our time," Tripodi said in an X post.

"She reiterated commitment for the India-Italy strategic partnership and for countering terrorism," the embassy said.

The group also met the Committee on Foreign Affairs and European Commission and its president, Senator Giulio Tremonti.

"The Indian side highlighted India's unwavering commitment to combat terrorism and the national consensus on zero tolerance against terrorism," the embassy said in a separate post, adding that Tremonti "appreciated" the outreach and spoke about the "shared positions on terrorism".

"He underscored the need for a regular dialogue about terrorism," it added.

The delegation also interacted with a cross-section of the Indian community here and shared the national resolve to "counter-terrorism and take firm actions against cross-border terrorism," the embassy said. 

"We also expressed our appreciation for the valuable contributions of the Indian diaspora and their deep-rooted connections to their homeland," Prasad said in a post on X.

In separate meetings, the delegation also engaged with Italian news agencies, journalists and major think tanks and strategic experts, briefing them about India's stance on cross-border terrorism, Operation Sindoor, as well as New Delhi's "new normal of a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism", and its resolve to combat all forms of terrorism.

This delegation visited France before arriving in Italy. It will also travel to Denmark, Germany, the UK, and the European Union in Brussels.

About two weeks after the horrific April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were killed, India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 under Operation Sindoor, following which Pakistan attempted to attack the Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.