Some countries taking advantage of COVID-19 to enhance terrorism, says India

In remarks which hinted towards Pakistan and China, India said that some countries were taking advantage of COVID-19 pandemic to enhance terrorism or adopt aggressive policies, while India has been rushing medical supplies to mitigate socio-economic impact on vulnerable countries.

TS Tirumurti, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations (UN), made the remarks at the commemoration of the third anniversary of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund.

“When some countries are taking advantage of COVID to enhance terrorism or adopt aggressive policies, India’s answer is to rush medical supplies, strengthen national health capacity or mitigate socio-eco impacts on vulnerable countries,” Tirumurti was quoted as saying by India mission at UN.

“India gives priority to sustainability and demand-driven projects, and shuns efforts to impose conditionalities or create indebtedness or constrain developmental space of developing countries,” he added.

Since April-May of this year, India and China have been engaged in a standoff over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area and Galwan Valley. The situation worsened after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June.

Tirumurti said that the essence of India’s development partnership was articulated by Swami Vivekananda.

“Each nation must give in order to live. When you give, you will have life; when you receive, you must pay for it by giving to all others,” he quoted Swami Vivekananda as saying.