India-Bahrain call upon states to reject use of terrorism against other countries

NEW DELHI: India and Bahrain on Tuesday agreed that a terrorist in one country cannot be “glorified” as a “freedom fighter” in another, and jointly called upon all states to reject the use of terrorism against other countries, refrain from interfering in internal affairs of other states and dismantle terrorist infrastructure wherever it exists.
A joint statement issued by the two countries at the end of home minister Rajnath Singh’s three-day visit to Bahrain had them reiterating their strong stance against all forms of terrorism and declaring terrorism as a hazard for all countries and communities.The stress against glorification of a terrorist in one state as a freedom fighter in another may be seen in the context of Pakistan's declaration of slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani as a "martyr".
India and Bahrain agreed to reinforce cooperation in ongoing terrorism-related investigations and organised crime investigations; determine and exchange information on terrorism financing and organised crime sources and confiscation of terrorism money in accordance to the laws of both countries; study youth extremism and the use of the internet and how to tackle the issue; further cooperation in e-security; and to jointly fight money laundering.
They also agreed to actively implement the counterterrorism agreement for which a joint committee has been formed. The joint committee held its first meeting on the sidelines of the Singh’s visit, and will be following this up with regular meetings in the days to come.
The two countries will promote participation in training courses and seminars held by the two countries for security officials to exchange expertise on crime fighting and other unconventional threats. They welcomed cooperation in anti-human trafficking and the fight against emerging security threats of the two countries. The two sides agreed to continue high level communication to reinforce security cooperation.
“India and Bahrain agreed that the exchange of high-level visits has contributed to the implementation of important agreements between the two countries. They discussed the visit of HE Interior Minister to India in December 2015 that included the signing of the cooperation agreement on international counterterrorism and trafficking of narcotics, psychotropic substances and chemical precursors.
During his trip to Bahrain that concluded on Tuesday, Singh had a productive session was with the Bahrain interior minister, Lt-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. He also met His Excellency Foreign Minister, Shaikh Khaled bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.
“His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received His Excellency Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh as part of an official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain from October 23-25, 2016. He (Singh) also met His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister and His Highness Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa,” said the joint statement.
The two sides agreed that the visit of King Hamad to India in February 2014 had built a basic foundation toward a strong partnership between the two countries.