Terrorism is a major threat to societies and collective action by the international community against it can no longer be postponed, President Pranab Mukherjee has said.
He said there can be no justification for terrorism and its use as an instrument of state policy is perilous and reprehensible. Welcoming Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, the president said terrorism is a major threat to all societies and India unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
“We believe that the international community should cooperate closely to address this menace. Collective, coordinated action by the international community against terrorism can no longer be postponed,” Mukherjee was quoted as having said in a press release issued today by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The president also hosted a banquet for his Turkish counterpart. In his banquet speech, Mukherjee said the scourge of terrorism has afflicted India and Turkey for decades.
“India believes that there can be no justification, whatsoever for terrorism. Its use as an instrument of state policy is perilous and reprehensible. We believe that closer co-ordination and concerted efforts by the international community are necessary to tackle this menace effectively,” he said.
Mukherjee said another global challenge of unprecedented scale is the impact of climate change.
“There is an urgent need for the world to use science, technology and best practises to achieve the agreed targets so that we can honestly claim to have made the world a better place to live in,” he said.
The visiting president was accompanied by his wife Emine Erdogan at the event.