ONBOARD AIR INDIA ONE, Oct 1:
Vice-President M Hamid Ansari today said the issues of terrorism and U N reforms figured prominently during his discussions with the leadership of Nigeria and Mali as both these countries had been victims of ”very serious kind of terrorist activities” which crossed international borders.
Asked about the recent surgical strikes across of the Line of Control (LoC), the Vice-President said India could not be at the receiving end of terrorist attacks all the time and do nothing about it. He pointed out that there were some terrorist launch pads identified, and they were neutralised.
He was speaking to journalists on board Air India One on the conclusion of his five-day visit to Nigeria and Mali.
Responding to a question on the once-pre eminent Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), the Vice-President pointed out that its consensus-based approach to decision making had rendered decisions ineffective and unable to solve even the problems within member states.
Referring to the OIC as ”a club that had lost its relevance”, he indicated that member nations in bilateral discussions had all condemned terrorism, recognising that no one could condone it as everyone had become a victim.
Nigeria, which was the strongest economy in the region, was not only India’s biggest trading partner in the region, but India was also its largest trading partner overall. He added that India has an old and intensive training programme in the field of defence which continued and had great importance. A lot of IT professionals were also being trained in India, he added.
Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal was also present on the occasion.
Describing the discussions in Nigeria as ”very productive”, Mr Ansari said new areas like renewable energy, solar alliance, infrastructure development, agriculture, manufacturing, health, science and technology had been identified for mutual cooperation.
Nigeria, he said, had expressed great interest in India’s successful space programme and also showed interest in assistance from India in peaceful use of nuclear energy, he added.
Terming the Mali visit as ”first of its kind at a senior level”, the Vice-President said India was keen to work in the areas of human resource development and capacity building.
He said some new areas were identified like health sector, solar energy, and agriculture. ”Both countries have agreed for a joint commission meeting which is going to take place very soon,” he added. (UNI)
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