Indian delegation holds talks on counter-terrorism with African Union in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, May 31 (IANS) The Indian all-party delegation led by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) Supriya Sule, on Saturday held fruitful discussions with the African Union in Ethiopia, exchanging views on ways and means to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The interaction paved the way for more focussed engagement between India and the African Union on preventing and combatting terrorism across the world.

Earlier in the day, the delegation met Adem Farah, Deputy Chairman of the Prosperity Party and the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, conveying India's unified and determined stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

The delegates briefed on India's 'New Normal' against cross-border attacks, zero-tolerance for terrorism, and political parties' resolve to stand united in all matters of national interest.

The Deputy PM strongly condemned the terrorist act and expressed the need for collective international action. He also conveyed the East African country's strong commitment to work with India in the field of counter-terrorism.

The delegates arrived in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on Friday carrying forth India's strong message on zero-tolerance against terrorism as part of India's diplomatic outreach on Operation Sindoor.

The delegation called on Hailemariam Dessalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, presenting India's stance on ‘zero-tolerance against terrorism’ and resolute commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The former Prime Minister emphasised that terror in any form and manifestation cannot be justified under any circumstances and expressed the solidarity of the people of Ethiopia with India.

“Hailemariam expressed heartfelt condolences to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and correlated it with the terrorist activities in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel Region of Africa. He committed to take forward the message of 'zero tolerance against terrorism' with the elders and wise groups of Africa and build consensus on dealing with this at the regional and global level,” read a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Addis Ababa.

During the three-day visit to Ethiopia, the multi-party delegation will hold meetings and discussions with the leadership of Ethiopia and have interaction with wide-ranging stakeholders like media, civil society, academicians, and the Indian community, conveying India's clear and precise message on zero-tolerance against terrorism.

“The visit is taking place in the context of the April 22 terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in India. The terrorists from across the border murdered 26 people, including one national of Nepal, causing the largest number of civilian casualties in a terrorist attack in India since the 26 November 2008 attacks in Mumbai. The attack in Pahalgam was marked by extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head-shots from close range and in front of their families,” said the statement.

“The manner of the attack was also driven by an objective of provoking communal discord, both in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the nation, and to convey their terrorist motives to the rest of the world. This was followed by a measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible response by India on May 7, 2025, under Operation Sindoor,” the statement added.

The all-party delegation led by Supriya Sule comprises BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Anurag Thakur and V. Muraleedharan, Congress leaders Manish Tewari and Anand Sharma, Telugu Desam Party's Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Aam Aadmi Party leader Vikramjeet Singh Sawhney, and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin.

The delegation is a part of India's global diplomatic outreach campaign to highlight the significance of Operation Sindoor and India's continued fight against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism.

--IANS

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