Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister has confirmed ‘zero tolerance’ on terrorism. On India’s concerns about cross-border terrorism, he said Warsaw will not tolerate terrorist attacks on Indian territory. He said this issue is now closed.
New Delhi [भारत]July 13 (ANI): Reiterating Poland’s commitment against terrorism, Poland’s State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski said Warsaw has “zero tolerance” on all forms of terrorism, including terrorist attacks on Indian territory. He said this while responding to India’s concerns over cross-border terrorism and Poland’s relations with Pakistan.
His statement comes months after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during his talks with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in January, had urged Warsaw to show “zero tolerance” towards terrorism and not “help promote terrorist infrastructure” in India’s neighbourhood.
Poland’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy on terrorism
When asked about Poland’s response to India’s concerns over Pakistan and cross-border terrorism, Bartoszewski said, “It’s an old story. It happened in January, and we have zero tolerance for any kind of terrorism, no matter where it comes from.”
Poland facing ‘state terrorism’ from Russia
Drawing comparisons to security challenges facing Europe, he said Poland itself faces “state terrorism” from Russia, including arson, sabotage, cyberattacks and assassinations. He said, “Now we have Russian state terrorism… and we have zero tolerance for it, and we also have zero tolerance for terrorist attacks on Indian territory. So there is no question about it.”
Bartoszewski said he had discussed the issue in detail with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar during his last visit to India and he believed the matter had been resolved. He said, “I discussed these matters. I listened to Dr. Jaishankar when I was here in February… I had the privilege and honor of having dinner with Dr. Jaishankar and I believe that this matter is completely closed.”
Strengthening relations between India and Poland
Responding to questions on whether Poland accepts India’s concerns over cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and whether Warsaw’s engagement with Islamabad will come at India’s expense, the Polish minister described the frequency of high-level India-Poland meetings as evidence of the importance Warsaw attaches to New Delhi. “Given that our Prime Minister is coming to meet Prime Minister Modi as part of our close strategic cooperation, I think it is a good sign that we value high-level contacts,” he said.
He told that he visits India several times a year, while Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar remain in regular touch. Bartoszewski said, “We hope that Dr. Jaishankar will also visit us for a conference in early October. We have already agreed that, of course, there will be a one-on-one meeting with Minister Sikorski as well.”
His statement comes ahead of the scheduled visit of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to India this year, which is expected to focus on strengthening strategic, economic and defense cooperation between the two countries. (ANI)
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