India wants Kim Davy extradited from Denmark to face trial in the 1995 Purulia arms drop case.
Ahead of the visit of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, India on Thursday said it remains engaged with Denmark on the issue of extradition of Kim Davy, the prime accused in the 1995 Purulia arms drop case.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Danish PM's visit from Saturday is "very important" as it is the first head of state or head of government level visit that is happening since the Covid restrictions kicked in.
This visit will give an opportunity to review the green strategic partnership, he said.
Asked about the issue of extradition of Davy, Mr Bagchi said, "We are focused on that. This has been on the agenda. We have raised it in the past and we remained engaged with Denmark on this issue and our discussions are ongoing on the subject."
On whether it will come up for discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Danish counterpart, Mr Bagchi said, "I do not want to prejudge conversations before they happen."
India has been demanding the extradition of Davy from Denmark to face trial in the sensational case.
The case relates to the dropping of arms and ammunition by an AN-26 aircraft in West Bengal's Purulia district on the night of December 17, 1995. The consignment had hundreds of AK-47 rifles, pistols, anti-tank grenades, rocket launchers and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to investigators.
Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen will visit India from October 9-11 and is scheduled to hold talks with Modi on Saturday.
On issues surrounding the World War II oil tank farm in Sri Lanka's Trincomalee, a key Indo-Lanka economic partnership link for decades, Bagchi said there have been various agreements on oil tank farms and it is an issue that India attaches as much importance to as it does to other economic projects.
On US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's India visit, Bagchi said bilateral cooperation and regional security situation was discussed during the visit. He said views were also shared on China, Russia and Iran in various contexts.
Asked about issues of human rights and democratic values being repeatedly raised by the US side in bilateral meetings, he said, "We are fellow democracies, the presence in the Quad indicates that. I would propose a counter to say that it is but natural to discuss, uphold and highlight democracy."
"You heard the PM speak at length in the UN general assembly statement that democracies can deliver. This is something that working together we can be an example of how we can bring benefit to other parties particularly in the Info-Pacific region. So I don't see it at all as being told... it is something both countries pride and value and we should naturally speak about shared values," he said. PTI ASK
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