Emphasising the need to designate Pakistani terror mastermind Masood Azhar as a global terrorist under the 1267 counter-terror committee of the UN Security Council, France on Thursday sought international consensus on countering cross-border terrorism.
In a written interview to The Hindu , Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France and India are successfully cooperating in areas like counter-terrorism and defence and highlighted France’s territorial interests in the Indian Ocean region.
“It is deeply regrettable that we could not reach a consensus on such an obvious request for designation,” Mr. Le Drian stated, arguing that as the leader of the banned group Jaish-e-Mohammed, Mr. Azhar too should be designated a global terrorist.
Mr. Le Drian’s comment on terrorism came two days after France marked the first anniversary of the November 13, 2016 terror strike in Paris which left 130 dead and dozens wounded. The Foreign Minister’s visit on Friday is expected to prepare the ground for President Emmanuel Macron’s India visit during which he is expected to participate in the International Solar Alliance Conference.
Mr. Le Drian will meet with his counterpart, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during his visit.
He will also hold talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
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