PM Narendra Modi, Chancellor Angela Merkel urge world community to root out terror safe havens, infrastructure

IANS Photo

New Delhi: India and Germany called upon the international community on Friday to work towards rooting out terrorist safe heaven and infrastructure, disrupt terror networks and financing channels and halt the cross-border movement of terrorists. A joint statement was issued after the 5th Inter-Governmental Consultations between visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two sides emphasised the need for stronger international partnership in countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism, including through increased sharing of information and intelligence and in full compliance with the rule of law and international law, including human rights law and international humanitarian law.

The two leaders underlined the need for all countries to ensure that their territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries in any manner.

Referring to the need for presenting a united front in the fight against this global menace, the two leaders called for the finalisation and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in March 2020.

Both leaders also agreed that India and Germany must continue their cooperation within the framework of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, including on information and intelligence sharing on terror networks and work together to share experiences on dealing with the growing phenomenon of radicalisation. They asked officials on both sides to schedule the next meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism at the earliest, the joint statement said.

The 73-point statement had a large section devoted to `Strengthening Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation`. Under it, both sides decided to intensify cooperation towards collaboration on the next-generation technologies.

Both sides are to enhance collaboration in the area of AI for health. They welcomed the first stakeholder meeting in Berlin in September 2019 and agreed on facilitating another such meeting in India.

Both leaders welcomed AI collaborations in agriculture such as precision farming with the aim to increase efficiency and to save resources as well as reduction of food losses and waste. Additionally, both ministries of agriculture aim to establish open training datasets for AI applications that also address legal issues.

The other points in the joint statement were on expanding frontiers of trade and investment through innovation and knowledge and taking action for climate and sustainable development.

List of Agreements/ MoUs signed on the sidelines

1. Implementing Arrangement for Exchange of Personnel between ISRO and German Aerospace Centre
2. Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Field of Civil Aviation
3. Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Cooperation within the International Smart Cities Network
4. Joint Declaration of Intent between on Cooperation in the Field of Skills Development and Vocational Education and Training
5. Declaration of Intent on Strengthening Economic Cooperation in the field of Start-ups
6. Joint Declaration of Intent on the Establishment of Bilateral Cooperation Project regarding Agricultural Market Development
7. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of Occupational Diseases, Re-habilitation and vocational training of Insured Persons & workers with disabilities
8. Memorandum of Understanding For Cooperation in Inland, Coastal and Maritime Technology
9. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote, establish and expand scientific and technological research cooperation
10. MoU on Establishment of an Academic Collaboration in Ayurveda, Yoga and Meditation
11. Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Germany on Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education for Extension of the period of Indo-German Partnership in Higher Education
12. MoU between National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management MANAGE and the German Agricultural Academy DEULA in the city of Nienburg on collaboration in agricultural technical and professional training
13. Joint Declaration of Intent between Siemens Limited, India and MSDE and German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development on Skills for Sustainable Growth
14. MoU on the Extension of Indo-German Partnership in Higher Education
15. Memorandum of Understanding regarding cooperation between the National Museum, the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Indian Museum Kolkata, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Stiftung Humboldt Forum in Berliner Schloss
16. Memorandum of Understanding between All India Football Federation (AIFF) and DeutscherFußball-Bund e.V (DFB)
17. Statement of Intent on the key elements of the Indo-German Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement.