India,Germany condemn terrorism in all forms

Berlin, May 30 (IANS) Asserting that terrorism is a big threat for the coming generations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said all forces of humanity across the globe should come together to fight the menace as India and Germany condemned violence in all forms and agreed on the need to take measures against those who encourage, support and finance terror and provide safe havens.

The Prime Minister's call came at a media interaction here along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the two leaders had wide ranging discussions through Inter-Governmental Consultations at the Chancellery on stepping up bilateral partnership in various fields including economic between the two countries.

After the talks both sides signed 12 agreements and MoUs that included cooperation in the fields of digitalisation, skill development, cyber policy, health sector, railway safety and sustainable urban development.

"Terrorism and inferior thinking is a very big challenge for the coming generations of humanity. And its the demand of the time that forces of humanity need to come together to combat the menace. And both the countries are of the same view on how we should get together to deal with such kind of situations," Modi said.

In her remarks, Chancellor Merkel said that she and Modi discussed in detail the issue of terrorism at the dinner Monday night and agreed that both the countries suffer from the consequences of terrorism.

A joint statement issued after the meeting said Modi and Merkel underlined their common concern about the threat and global reach of terrorism and extremism.

"They condemned terrorist violence in all its forms and manifestations. They agreed on the need to take strong measures against all those who encourage, support and finance terrorism, provide sanctuary and safe havens that sustain and support terrorist groups and organisations. They welcomed closer collaboration between India and Germany to counter these challenges through regular meetings of the joint working groups on counter terrorism. They called for finalisation and adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT)," it said.

Emphasising on the cyber security field, Modi said, "Cyber security is also a very big issue which is very dynamic as it creates a number of problems which needs to be dealt instantly."

He said that if there is a proper intelligence sharing then we would have more options to tackle such situations. India can play many role in IT profession, so we also want to move forward in the cyber security area.

The Prime Minister, who had a one-on-one private dinner with the Chancellor at her country residence Monday night, said today at a time when Europe and the entire world were facing challenges, the guidance of a strong leader like Merkel was necessary for the European Union to get stronger and united.

The Prime Minister said in his discussions with Merkel both the countries were looking at outcome oriented momentum in bilateral ties and a quantum jump especially in economic relations. He said Germany's extensive work in skill development, which has set the standards globally, can benefit the youth of India.

"Our cooperation in areas like renewable energy is gaining momentum," he said.

Modi said India is giving an importance to next generation infrastructure and it was an area in which India wanted to work extensively with Germany.

Science and technology and startup world or important areas which have been given attention to during the talks he said.

The Prime Minister welcomed the role played by the friendly countries in India's development and said German business and industries were an important partner in achieving India's priority.

"Our relations have regional and global perspective. We discussed new and upcoming opportunities and challenges in Asia, Europe and the world. "

He said climate change and living in harmony with nature was part of India's ethos. He said the current generation has no right to play with the environment and one has to accept that tampering with the environment is morally a criminal act.