Turkey joins India to battle terror, backs global convention (Lead)

Days after upsetting India by excluding it from a conclave on Afghanistan, Turkey Tuesday agreed to jointly combat terror and back the comprehensive convention on international terrorism, the first member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to do so.

Turning a new chapter in their bilateral ties that had remained distant in the past due to Ankara's perceived closeness to Pakistan on the one hand and the Western alliance on the other, India and Turkey agreed to a joint declaration on combating terrorism.

The declaration was adopted after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

The declaration came as a shot in the arm for New Delhi as India has been pushing for the finalisation of this pact since 1996.

Taking their warming ties further, the two sides also agreed to a declaration on scientific and technological cooperation.

The two sides agreed to work together and with other like-minded states for the finalisation of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the earliest, said the joint declaration on terrorism.

The convention has been embroiled in differences over the definitions of terrorism, with the OIC countries opposing a bid to bring armed forces within its purview.

The two sides also agreed to firm up an action plan with timelines and specific measures to jointly combat terrorism. The two leaders discussed regional stability and the volatile situation in Afghanistan that poses a threat to the entire region.

The Turkish side explained the circumstances under which it could not invite India for a conference on Afghanistan last month, allegedly at the behest of Pakistan.

The Turkish president sought to allay India's concerns, saying Turkey would "have liked India to be there and hoped that India would be able to participate in yet another meeting relating to developments in Afghanistan that would be hosted in Turkey later this year".

"He wished to avoid any misunderstanding relating to a recent meeting in Istanbul on Afghanistan, which emerged from a trilateral format involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey," the external affairs ministry said.

Gul also underlined that the special relationship between Turkey and Pakistan did not in any way create obstructions for development of Turkey-India relations.

Appreciating India's contribution to Afghanistan, Gul expressed the desire to work together with India in bringing stability to that country.

Last updated on Feb 9^th, 2010 at 20:51 pm IST--IANS