India, Russia must tackle terror flowing from neighbours: Mukherjee

MOSCOW: Amid the unfolding transition in Afghanistan, India’s President Pranab Mukherjee has highlighted the threat of terrorism emanating from the neighboring countries and underlined the need for the two strategic partners to cooperate proactively to counter the common threat.

“Terrorism and extremism emanating from our shared neighborhood remains a security threat for India and Russia,” said Mr Mukherjee at the Russian Diplomatic Academy in Moscow on May 8.

Mr Mukherjee is in Russia on a five-day visit to take part in the celebrations of Victory Day, that commemorates allied powers’ victory in World War II against Nazi Germany.

The Russian Diplomatic Academy in Moscow conferred on Mr Mukherjee an honorary doctorate degree.

In his speech, the president lauded Russia for standing as a pillar of strength at difficult moments of India’s history, and underscored that Moscow will continue to remain India’s most important defence partner.

Besides highlighting security threats, the president stressed that the two countries should build on synergies in different areas including engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, civil aircraft, and information and communication technology. There was a need of joint effort to overcome structural barriers to India-Russia trade and economic collaboration, he said.

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