Foreign secretary meets advisor to French President, extends condolences on terrorist attacks
Oct 29, 2020
Paris [France], October 30 : Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Thursday met Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron and extended condolences on terrorist attacks in France. He also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message that India stands with France in the fight against terrorism.
"Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, extended condolences on terrorist attacks in France and conveyed PM Modi's message that India stands with France in fight against terrorism," said Indian Embassy in France.
This came after a knife-wielding man killed two women and a man at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Nice and injured several others on Thursday. The police detained the attacker and launched an investigation. The attack in Nice was followed by a knife-stabbing attempt in France's southeastern city of Avignon and another one at the French Consulate in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the violent knife attack in France, which left three people dead.
In a Tweet, PM Modi expressed condolences for the victims and their families and reiterated that India stands with France in the fight against terrorism.
"I strongly condemn the recent terrorist attacks in France, including today's heinous attack in Nice inside a church. Our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of France. India stands with France in the fight against terrorism," Modi tweeted.
Prior to this, India on Wednesday had condemned the gruesome killing of a French teacher and personal attacks on President Emmanuel Macron amid intense backlash for alleged Islamophobia from countries like Turkey and Pakistan.
"We strongly deplore the personal attacks in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron in violation of the most basic standards of international discourse," the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.
Extending condolences to the teacher's family and the people of France, the MEA said: "We also condemn the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner that has shocked the world."
The Ministry's statement comes days after Samuel Paty, a school teacher, was beheaded by an 18-year-old teenager on the outskirts of Paris after he showed cartoons depicting the Prophet during a lesson.
Paty was posthumously granted France's highest award, the Legion d'Honneur, and commemorated in the national ceremony at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
