In his address at the EAS, Modi said, We need to target not only the terrorists but also their entire supporting ecosystem.
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Indirectly referring to Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister indicted that “a single nation” is spreading terror in South Asia while making remarks at the G-20 summit.
He said the US highly prioritizes on ASEAN, and intends to build a strong foundation of relations in the region in keeping with the contents of the Sunnylands Declaration, made jointly by ASEAN leaders and the US President during a special ASEAN-US Summit earlier this year.
In his talks with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe on Wednesday, India and Japan pledged to strengthen ties in the key areas of counter-terrorism, civil nuclear cooperation, trade and investment.
Responding to a query, he said Pakistan has always highlighted Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly, adding Prime Minister this time will also highlight the increased atrocities and human rights violations in the IoK at the UNGA.
The Prime Minister flagged the issue of maritime security, underlining the importance of freedom of navigation in worldwide waters.
Competing geo-politics, traditional and non-traditional challenges threaten peace, stability and prosperity of region, he said at the summit.
Referring to the relevance of ASEAN in the global context, Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, “a more cohesive South Asia will command greater value, internationally”.
He also proposed Joint Task Force on connectivity to work on extension of India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
He also invited Asean to be the guest of honour at the International Buddhist Conclave to be held in India in October. “An icon of democracy, a partner for development”. The meeting was extremely warm and cordial, said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
The two last met in June when Modi visited Washington.
Modi named neither country in his speeches, but his twin attacks before top Asian leaders as well as US President Barack Obama were seen as a strategic move to send out a strong message against New Delhi’s nuclear-armed foes.
He said it was good that the situation in the sea “has not escalated significantly in the last few months”, and welcomed initial steps by China and the Philippines to resume dialogue on their dispute.
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Soon after his arrival here on Wednesday, he met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
