Countries supporting terrorism must be held accountable: PM Modi

New Delhi: Identifying terrorism as the 'biggest problem' that the world is facing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said there was a need to tackle the menace in an organised manner.

"Terrorism is the biggest problem the world is facing. We have to ensure that the countries that support and assist the terrorists are also held guilty," Modi said, while addressing the 12th BRICS summit hosted by Russia via videoconferencing. Although Modi did not name any country, his reference is seen as directed at Pakistan.

The 12th BRICS summit, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was also attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This is the second time that Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping shared the virtual platform this month. Earlier, both leaders had shared the platform on November 10 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where Modi had said that all member nations of the SCO should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Indian and Chinese soldiers are locked in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh for the last six months.

Calling the theme 'Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth' not only relevant but also far-sighted, Modi said questions are being raised on the credibility of the global institutions. He emphasised on reform of institutions like IMF, WTO, WHO to gain credibility. The Prime Minister also asserted that India post-COVID can be a force multiplier for the global economy. "India's vaccine production and delivery capacity will also work in interest of humanity to tackle COVID crisis." At the virtual summit, Modi said, "India and South Africa have made Covid-19 vaccine treatment and screening agreements. A waiver has been proposed.

The purpose of the Russian BRICS chairmanship in 2020, as it is for multifaceted cooperation between the BRICS countries, is to contribute to raising living standards and quality of life of our people, a Russian statement said.

"Despite the current global situation due to the spread of the coronavirus infection, the activities under the Russian BRICS Chairmanship in 2020 are carried out in a consistent manner.