Firm action needed to counter IS: India

Jakarta: India on Wednesday said the emergence of the dreaded terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was a matter of grave concern and must be countered as it challenges civilisation.

"The ISIS has emerged as a cause of grave concern in the last year. We must be resolute in countering this scourge that challenges our civilisation," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said here at the ministerial meeting of the Asian African Summit 2015.

She said the rise of extremist violence and terrorism has been one of the most disturbing security phenomena and several parts of the two continents are victim to a medley of terrorist groups.

ISIS seeks to establish a transnational Islamic caliphate. The group controls vast swathes of territory in several countries in the Middle East including Iraq, Syria and Libya, destabilising the region.

The External Affairs Minister, who is nursing a leg injury delivered her speech sitting at her place. She called for UN reforms and cohesive action for a new world order.

Swaraj raised the issue of maritime security saying threat of piracy remains despite action in Malacca Straits and the Gulf of Aden.

"We have worked together to combat piracy in the Malacca Straits and the Gulf of Aden, yet the threat remains due to political instability, poverty and lack of development in parts of our region.

"The Indian Ocean's importance as an active trade route will grow in the future. As we embark upon the concept of Blue Economy as a new pillar of development, it becomes even more important to secure our seas," she said.

Recalling the spirit of historical Bandung conference of 1955, she said, "The Bandung spirit for a just and equitable order continues. Asia and Africa are both in consonance to reorder international institutions and reform the UN and its Security Council as also other institutions, where our voices are not being heard. We need more cohesive action on this and India is ready to play its due role in the new world order".