United Nations: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said that the world should ensure that the soil of Afghanistan is not used for terrorism while warning nations that use terror as a political tool that it was an equally grave threat to them too.
“We have to answer to our future generations that when it was time to take decisions, what were we doing when we were responsible for giving direction to the world?” Modi said while addressing the 76th UN General Assembly session.
In an obvious reference to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, he said that today the world is facing the threat of regressive thinking and extremism and under such circumstances and to counter this, make science-based, rational and progressive thinking the basis of development.
“On the other hand, with regressive thinking, countries that are using terrorism as a political tool have to understand that terrorism is an equally big threat to them,” Modi said without naming Pakistan. “It is very important to ensure that the soil of Afghanistan is not used for spreading terrorism and terrorist attacks.”
He said the world should be careful that no country tries to use the delicate situation in Afghanistan as a tool for selfish motives.
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“At this time the people of Afghanistan, the women and children there, the minorities there, need help, and in this we have to fulfill our responsibility,” he emphasised.
Stating that oceans are the world's common heritage, Modi said that ocean resources should be used, not abused.
“Our oceans are also the life-line of international trade. We have to protect them from the race of expansion and exclusion. To strengthen the rule-based world order, the international community must speak in unison. The broad consensus reached during India's presidency in the Security Council (in August this year) shows the world the way forward in the matter of maritime security,” he said without mentioning China.
He also called for reforms in the UN and said the organisation should reflect today's world.
“Many questions are being raised on the UN today,” the Prime Minister said. “The world is facing crises like climate crisis, the Covid pandemic, proxy wars going on in different parts and terrorism. Now, the Afghanistan crisis have deepened all these crises. In the context of the origins of Covid and the ease of doing business rankings, global governance institutions have damaged their credibility built on decades of labour.”
He said that If the UN has to keep itself relevant, it has to improve its effectiveness and increase its reliability.
“It is necessary that we continue to strengthen the UN to protect the global order, global laws and global values,” Modi stated.
