Hold countries that support terror guilty, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday raised the issue of terrorism at the BRICS Summit and said countries that help and support terrorists need to be held guilty. Modi said multilateralism is going through a crisis and questions are being raised about global institutions since they haven’t changed with the times and are based on the mindset of 75 years ago.

Participating in the virtual Brics Summit chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, He described the finalisation of the Brics Counter-Terrorism Strategy as a great achievement and said India, as the chair of Brics next year, will take this work forward. Modi’s remarks on terrorism were endorsed by Putin, who said some countries were like the “black sheep of the family” and the world cannot afford any complacency in dealing with problems such as terrorism and the Covid-19 pandemic.Noting that important geo-strategic changes were taking place around the world,

Modi said these would impact security, stability and growth, and Brics will play an important role in tackling these issues. Multilateralism is going through a crisis and questions are being raised about institutions since they haven’t changed with time and are operating with outdated mindsets, he said. Besides the UN Security Council, reforms are needed in the WTO, IMF and WHO, he added. 

Modi said. India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, which aims to make the country self-reliant and resilient, can be a force multiplier for the post-Covid-19 economy and make contributions to global supply chains, he added.Pointing to the call by India and South Africa for waiver of intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines, he sought support from the other members of Brics for this initiative.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his address, offered to cooperate with India and other BRICS nations in the development of vaccines against the coronavirus and called for holding a symposium by the five-member bloc on traditional medicine to explore its role in the Covid-19 prevention and treatment. The Chinese companies are working with their Russian and Brazilian partners on phase three clinical trials for vaccines. We are prepared to have cooperation with South Africa and India as well,” Xi said .

Xi focussed on the need for the BRICS countries to support multilateralism, globalisation which faced headwinds from growing nationalism in the US and other developed countries and advanced five proposals for the five-member bloc. “History teaches us that multilateralism, equity and justice can keep war and conflict at bay. While unilateralism and power politics will inflate dispute and confrontation, he said.