Mumbai: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid tribute to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
While speaking at the event he said that terror is an absolute “evil” and no pretext, grievance, or reason can justify the act of terrorism.
Antonio Guterres is currently on his first official visit to India during the second term. He visited India for the first time from October 1 to October 4, 2018, during his first term in office.
While addressing the press conference, he said “Terror is absolute evil. There are no reasons, no pretext, no causes, and no grievances that can justify terrorism. terrorism is absolute evil. It has no room in today’s world,”.
UN Chief further said, “I feel deeply moved to be here where one of the barbaric terrorist acts in history took place where 166 people lost their lives. I want to pay tribute to the victims. They are heroes of all world and I want to express my deepest condolences to their families, to their friends, to the people of India,”.
He also said that “fighting terrorism must be a global priority for every country on earth and fighting terrorism is a central priority for the UN”.
Recalling his first reform, Guterres said that he made a proposal for the creation of the office of anti-terrorism, an office that exists today.
During his visit, he further scheduled to hold bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar on the issue of global concerns, and steps to deepen India’s engagement with the UN, including through the upcoming Presidency of the G20 and reformed multilateralism.
(With Agency Inputs)