Working with India to fight designated terrorists, groups: UAE ambassador

NEW DELHI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday said it is working with India to fight against terrorist groups and individuals designated as terrorists by the United Nations (UN) or by other countries.

The move comes as New Delhi steps its efforts to mount pressure on Pakistan for letting the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Seed off the hook. Saeed, who India considers as the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack that killed 166 people, is designated as a terrorist by the UN and the US government.

UAE’s ambassador to India, Ahmed Al Banna, also said counter-terrorism cooperation remains an important aspect of bilateral ties.

The two countries are working on Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a second trip to the Gulf nation next year.

“We work very closely with India, with many different countries in the world, to counter-attack all those organisations that have been listed either by the United Nations or by some other countries or our own country as terrorist organisations...” he said.

“We denounce terrorism, we denounce extremism,” the envoy said. He said the two countries give a lot of importance to counter-terrorism measures.

“We exchange a lot of information and we have created a mechanism in terms of dissemination of information and exchange of information,” he said.

He said his country was fighting against those funding terrorists in neighbouring Qatar.

Earlier this year, led by Saudi Arabia, countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar for intervening in their affairs, supporting extremist organisations and hosting their leaders.

The UAE is also part of the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

On India-UAE economic ties, Al Banna said his country has committed $75 billion to India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), of which, $1 billion had been sent.

The UAE Embassy in India has launched a new mobile app aimed at helping its nationals visiting India and also Indians visiting that country.

THE TWO COUNTRIES ARE WORKING ON PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI MAKING A SECOND TRIP TO THE GULF NATION NEXT YEAR