Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US president Barack Obama at White House dinner in Washington
Highlights
- 'Terrorism is globally networked', said PM Modi said at the White House
- He's attending the Nuclear Security Summit hosted by President Obama
- He also called for nations to abide by international nuclear obligations
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Brussels attacks had illustrated how real and immediate is the threat to nuclear security from terror and made a strong call for "genuine cooperation" between countries. "Drop the notion that terrorism is someone else's problem and that 'his' terrorist is not 'my' terrorist," he said at a White House dinner.
The prime minister was making an intervention during a dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama ahead of a two-day Nuclear Security Summit.
He said: "Terrorism is globally networked. But we still act only nationally to counter this threat."
The prime minister labored the point that the reach and supply chains of terrorism are global, yet "genuine cooperation between nation states is not".
Seated next to President Obama during the dinner attended by leaders of more than 20 countries, PM Modi said: "Nuclear security must remain an abiding national priority. All States must completely abide by their international obligations."
Listing what he said were three contemporary features of terror that the world should focus on, PM Modi commented that today's terrorism uses extreme violence as theatre.
"Second, we are no longer looking for a man in a cave, but we are hunting for a terrorist in a city with a computer or a smart phone," he said. "Third, state actors working with nuclear traffickers and terrorists present the greatest risk," he added.
Terrorists are using 21st century technology "but our responses are rooted in the past," he told world leaders.
Praising the US President for his initiative on nuclear security, PM Modi said Obama's legacy must endure.
"By putting spotlight on nuclear security, (President) Obama has done great service to global security," he said.
This is the fourth and final nuclear security summit of Obama's presidency. Leaders of 53 nations and four international organisations are attending the event.
Today, PM Modi will hold bilateral talks with UK, Canada, Argentina and Japan.