Ethiopia committed to working with India in countering terrorism: Deputy PM tells all-party delegation

Addis Ababa, May 31 (PTI) An all-party delegation visiting the Ethiopian capital on Saturday met Deputy Prime Minister Adem Farah, who conveyed his country's strong commitment to working with India in countering terrorism.

The multi-party delegation led by NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule on Friday arrived in Addis Ababa as part of India's diplomatic outreach following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.

"Continuing their engagements in Ethiopia, the all-party parliamentary delegation met Adem Farah, Deputy Chairman of the Prosperity Party and the Deputy Prime Minister. He conveyed Ethiopia’s strong commitment to work with India in the field of counter-terrorism," the Indian Embassy in Ethiopia said on X.

"Today, the all-party parliamentary delegation had fruitful discussions with the African Union and exchanged views on ways and means to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

"This interaction paves the way for more focused engagement between India and the African Union on preventing and combating terrorism across the world," the embassy said in another post.

The delegation on Friday met Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former prime minister of Ethiopia. Hailemariam, as deputy prime minister and the foreign minister, played a crucial role in holding the Second India-Africa Forum Summit in May 2011.

Hailemariam expressed heartfelt condolences to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and correlated it with the terrorist activities in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel Region of Africa, a statement said.

The delegation conveyed India's 'zero-tolerance against terrorism' and the country's resolute commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, it said.

During the visit, the delegation will hold meetings and discussions with the leadership of Ethiopia and interact with wide-ranging stakeholders like the media, civil society, academicians and the Indian community.

The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistan’s links to terrorism.

Apart from Sule, the delegation comprises BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Anurag Thakur and V Muraleedharan, Congress leaders Manish Tewari and Anand Sharma, TDP leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, AAP leader Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin.

The team arrived from South Africa and will now proceed to Egypt.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7.

Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.

The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. PTI PY PY PY