India stands with France in fight against terrorism, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi

India stands with France in the fight against terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the West European country.

Modi took to Twitter to “strongly condemn” the recent terrorist attacks in France, including the one at a church on Thursday. “Our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of France. India stands with France in the fight against terrorism.”

I strongly condemn the recent terrorist attacks in France, including today's heinous attack in Nice inside a church. Our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of France. India stands with France in the fight against terrorism.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 29, 2020

Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla reached Paris on Thursday to meet his counterpart and other officials in the French Government. He is likely to underline New Delhi’s views on terrorism and stress on India-France cooperation in strengthening the global fight against the menace.

Shringla, who delivered a speech at Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI), reiterated New Delhi’s position that nothing could justify terrorism. He referred to the robust cooperation between India and France in combating terrorism.

Ahead of Foreign Secretary’s visit to Paris, India extended support to France even as the President of the West European nation, Emmanuel Macron, drew flak for making some comments, which some perceived to be Islamophobic.

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New Delhi subtly disapproved Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent comment on French President. “We strongly deplore the personal attacks in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron in violation of the most basic standards of international discourse,” Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said, without directly referring to the Turkish President’s recent comment that French President needed treatment for his mental condition.

What irked Erdoğan was the comment made by Macron after the recent beheading of a teacher Samuel Paty in Paris. Paty was killed by Abdoullakh Abouyedovich Anzorov after he showed some cartoons of Prophet Muhammad. Macron said after the killing that France would defend freedom of speech and would not give cartoons, drawings.

In a speech delivered before the murder of Paty, Macron also said that Islam was in crisis all over the world.

Not only Erdoğan, but Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan also reacted to French President’s comment. “This is a time when President Macron could have put a healing touch and denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarization and marginalization that inevitably leads to radicalization,” said Khan.

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Macron’s Government in Paris has been steadfastly supporting New Delhi in the campaign against terrorism, particularly in drawing global attention to export of the menace from Pakistan to India. France, along with the United States, helped India overcome resistance by China and Pakistan to get Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Moulana Masood Azhar sanctioned by the United Nations after the February 14, 2019 terror attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.