OIC nations important partners in fight against terror, says official

Abu Dhabi, March 1 (IANS) The OIC nations have expressed zero tolerance towards terrorism, T.S. Tirumurti, Secretary of Economic Relations at the Ministry of External Affairs, told the media on Friday.

He said it was a "historic day" in India's engagement with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as on the 50th anniversary of the first session of the OIC in 1969, India was invited as the guest of honour at the inaugural plenary of the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC.

He said it opened a new chapter in India's engagement with the OIC.

"In her address, the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj underlined that the fight against terrorism was not a confrontation against any religion. Her speech was widely welcomed," Tirumurti said.

"All the speakers in the session had no hesitation in saying that they had zero tolerance for terrorism," he added.

Responding to a media query on the Pakistan Foreign Minister saying that India had no moral right to be present at the OIC meet, the senior official said: "The invitation to India was extended in recognition of its global political stature as well as its time-honoured and deep-rooted cultural and historical legacy and its important Islamic component."

He pointed out that OIC nations catered to India's energy security and were home to the 12 million strong Indian diaspora. The volume of India's trade with OIC countries was $230 billion, which was 30 per cent of our total trade.

He said the OIC nations were India's "important partners" in fighting terrorism.