India has been at the forefront of the global fight against terrorism, MoS Muraleedharan said

India has been a victim of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism for the past three decades, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday. He also pointed out that India has been at the forefront of the global fight against terrorism.

Speaking at the UNSC debate on "Peace and Security in Africa: Strengthening the fight against the financing of armed groups and terrorists through the illicit trafficking of natural resources", he said the theme was "extremely important not just for Africa, but all of us, in the context of global fight against terrorism".

"India has been at the forefront of the global fight against terrorism. As a country which itself has been a victim of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism for nearly past three decades, India is acutely aware of the socio-economic and human cost of terrorism," MoS Muraleedharan pointed out.

Adding how India took part in all major global initiatives to combat terrorism, he said, "In 1996, long before the adoption of Resolution 1373, India took the initiative to pilot the draught Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism with the objective of providing a comprehensive legal framework to combating terrorism. We have signed and ratified all the major conventions and protocols on terrorism adopted by the UN, and are part of all major global initiatives including FATF."

Speaking about Africa, he noted that in recent years, terrorist and armed groups have been making deep in-roads by exploiting security gaps and fragile governance institutions in the continent, particularly in the Horn of Africa, Sahel and East and Central Africa.

Noting that these regions have remained vulnerable to money-laundering and terrorist financing, MoS Muraleedharan said, "Preventing these inimical outfits from accessing financial resources, therefore, is crucial to an effectively counter their violent attacks".

While some States lack the legal-operational frameworks and necessary Counter-Financing of Terrorism (CFT) capacities, there are other States that are clearly guilty of aiding and supporting terrorism, and wilfully providing financial assistance and safe havens to terrorists, he maintained.

During his address, MoS Muraleedharan also reiterated India's invitation to member nations to attend the special meeting of the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, which will be held in Mumbai and New Delhi on the 28th and 29th of this month.

He expressed the hoped that it will make a positive contribution to the development of a global architecture that is appropriate for its purpose and capable of effectively countering the new technological tools used by terrorists and those who support them against pluralistic, open, and diverse societies.