India backs Emmanuel Macron, criticises personal attacks on French president

India has deplored private assaults by nations corresponding to Turkey and Pakistan on French President Emmanuel Macron for his stance on radical Islam within the wake of the beheading of a trainer in Paris, and stated that there might be no justification for terrorism.

Macron has pledged to crack down on radical Islam in France after the October 16 beheading of Samuel Paty, a historical past professor who used controversial caricatures of Prophet Mohammed from the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in a category on freedom of expression. The killing by a suspected terrorist triggered a heated debate on secularism and Islamophobia in France.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated final week that Macron wants “some sort of mental treatment” for his angle in direction of Muslims, whereas Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the French president of encouraging Islamophobia.

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Without naming any nations, the exterior affairs ministry stated in an announcement: “We strongly deplore the personal attacks in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron in violation of the most basic standards of international discourse.”

The ministry condemned the “brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner that has shocked the world” and supplied condolences to Paty’s household and the folks of France.

“There is no justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance,” the assertion added.

French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain responded to the exterior affairs ministry’s assertion in a tweet: “Thank you @MEAIndia. France and India can always count on each other in the fight against terrorism.”

The Indian assertion got here as international secretary Harsh Shringla started a two-day go to to France as a part of a three-nation tour of Europe that will even take him to Germany and the UK. Shringla is ready to work together with prime French officers to debate methods to strengthen cooperation in a variety of areas, together with safety and defence, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

France has emerged as certainly one of India’s strongest allies in Europe and has taken a powerful place on safety challenges going through the nation, particularly on the UN Security Council. It has persistently criticised cross-border terrorism concentrating on India and was additionally one of many first nations to supply assist amid the border standoff with China and the killing of 20 Indian troopers in a conflict in June.

French defence minister Florence Parly expressed “deep solidarity” over the demise of the Indian troopers in a violent face-off alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and conveyed her nation’s “steadfast and friendly support” in a letter despatched to her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

India’s assist for Macron additionally comes at a time when New Delhi’s relations with Islamabad and Ankara are at a low. Pakistani and Turkish leaders have earned India’s ire by repeatedly elevating the difficulty of Kashmir and remedy of minorities at worldwide boards such because the UN.