By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Saturday asserted that India has zero tolerance for terrorism and it will never give in to “nuclear blackmail” from Pakistan .
He noted that India will deal with Pakistan purely bilaterally.
EAM Jaishankar at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Berlin, Jaishankar said, “I come to Berlin in the immediate aftermath of India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India has zero tolerance for terrorism. India will never give in to nuclear blackmail, and India will deal with Pakistan purely bilaterally. There should be no confusion in any quarter in that regard.”
He said “We also value Germany’s understanding that every nation has the right to defend itself against terrorism”.
Germany is resolutely behind India and its fight against terrorism under Operation Sindoor.
German foreign minister addressed the joint briefing with EAM Jaishankar in Berlin, said India has every right to defend itself against terrorism and strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
“We were appalled by the brutal terrorist attack on India on the 22nd of April. We condemned this attack on civilians in the strongest terms. Our deepest sympathy goes out to all victims and their families. After military attacks on both sides, India, of course, has every right to defend itself against terrorism,” he said.
Wadephul said the truce must be maintained for dialogue and bilateral solutions between the two conflicting parties – India and Pakistan.
“The fact that the truce is now in place is something we appreciate very much. What is important now is that this truce remains stable, that dialogue can happen in order to find bilateral solutions for that conflict, taking into account the vital interests of both sides,” he said.
“Germany and India have been fostering a regular dialogue on the fight against terrorism for years, and we intend to intensify it further,” Wadephul said.
“Germany will support any fight against terrorism. Terrorism must never have a place in the world, anywhere, and this is why we will support everyone who fights and has to fight terrorism. We very much appreciate that a ceasefire has been reached, and we hope that there will be a solution soon,” he added.
Jaishankar said the German government had conveyed its understanding that every country had the right to defend itself against terror.
“We had a conversation on the 7th of May, which is when we initiated our operations. It was a very understanding and positive conversation. And quite honestly, even before that, the German government had expressed solidarity. The minister very clearly conveyed Germany understanding that every nation has a right to defend itself against terrorism,” Jaishankar said.
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