india

Updated: Dec 11, 2019 06:40 IST

The European Union (EU) wants Pakistan to counter all terrorist organisations operating from its soil and to act against all forms of financing and support for such groups, EU ambassador to India Ugo Astuto said on Tuesday.

During an interaction with reporters, Astuto said the EU had acknowledged India’s security concerns but also called for a dialogue between India and Pakistan to address regional tensions.

“We continue to urge Pakistan to uphold the rule of law, to counter all terrorist organisations operating in the country. Pakistan must take action against militants and terrorists and against any form of financing or support to terrorist organisations,” he said.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had recently assessed the actions taken so far by Pakistan against terrorist groups and made “additional requests” to crack down on terror financing, he said.

Astuto said the EU had a consistent position on the Kashmir issue that had not changed since the then high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, had met external affairs minister S Jaishankar in August and September and discussed the matter on several occasions.

“What the EU has underlined is the importance of avoiding regional tensions and we have stressed that dialogue between India and Pakistan through diplomatic channels is crucial,” he said.

The EU continues to be concerned about the situation on the ground, specifically the restrictions on fundamental freedoms, he said. “It’s crucial that freedom of movement and means of communications are restored as well as access to all essential services,” he added.

“Basically, we have stressed the importance to take steps to restore normalcy in the region, the rights and freedoms of the population in Kashmir, while of course also understanding India’s security preoccupations which are definitely there,” he said, adding “dialogue is always the best way ahead”.

Most European countries have described India’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status as an internal matter, but also called on New Delhi to end the security lockdown and communications blackout imposed in August.