Rome [Italy], May 29 : BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is leading a multi-party delegation to Italy on Wednesday (local time) highlighted the success of delegation's meeting with Italian parliamentarians and said that there was commonality of understanding about India's position against terrorism.
Speaking with ANI, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "We had a very good meeting with the India caucus in the National Assembly and the Senate, it was a brilliant exchange. What is a matter of great assurance for us is that there was a commonality of understanding about India's position and also Italy's vis-a-vis the cancer of global terror. India and Italy have a good relationship. They also assured their commitment to work with us for the cause of peace and amity..."
Additionally, Former Deputy NSA and Ambassador Pankaj Saran, who is also part of the delegation, said that Italy appreciated India's restraint in not escalating the conflict with Pakistan.
Saran also added that Italy recognised India's right to self-defence and target terrorists during Operation Sindoor.
"What I liked very much was the comment by I will not say by whom, but one of them, they appreciated the Indian restraint and the fact that we did not escalate. But they recognised our right to self-defence and to target the terrorists. That, for me, is very encouraging. Also, I think we are putting across very clearly that the problem is terrorism; there can be no justification. We have also really highlighted the link between terrorism and state sponsorship in Pakistan. And I think that message has gone home very well," Pankaj Saran said.
India's Ambassador to Italy, Vani Rao said, "Its a crucial visit and for us, there are many takeaways. First, it was an engagement after a critical incident in India and a significant policy shift in terms of terrorism. Having the MPs here gave us an opportunity to address the other Parliamentarians, think tanks, media, and the Indian community, and to speak to them that the nation speaks in one voice, and we are very unwavering in our commitment to address terrorism. It was also an opportunity to convey that our strategic partnership with Italy was very important."
Earlier in the day, Ravi Shankar Prasad-led delegation interacted with India-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group, chaired by Senator Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata in Rome.
The delegation also held meeting with President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and European Commission of Italy's Chamber of Deputies, Giulio Tremonti.
The delegation, led by Prasad, includes Daggubati Purandeswari and Samik Bhattacharya from BJP, Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena-UBT, Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh from Congress, MJ Akbar, and Ambassador Pankaj Saran.
All of the seven delegations are on a diplomatic mission to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism supported by Pakistan.
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