Kinshasa (Congo), May 26 (ANI): India's former Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sujan Chinoy, highlighted the strategic significance of DR Congo in Africa, underlining the strong bilateral ties shared between the two nations and the role of Indian peacekeepers in the region.

Speaking on India's diplomatic engagement with DR Congo, Ambassador Chinoy said, 'The Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa's second largest country in terms of size after Algeria. It has 120 million people, so it's a very populous country... It has a big voice in this part of the world.'

He further noted the country's importance on the continental and global stage. 'It's an important member of the African Union and it is also one of the countries of Africa that could potentially be a future non-permanent member of the UN Security Council,' he said.

Reflecting on India's engagement, Chinoy remarked, 'We have excellent relations with the DR Congo. Indian peacekeepers are also present in this country, keeping the peace here in certain parts of this vast country and we therefore need to promote our relations with DR Congo to sensitise them about the global threat of terrorism.'

He added, 'It's a wonderful thing to see India speak in a united voice.'

Ambassador Chinoy's remark about India speaking with a united voice is directly reflected in the all-party delegation's joint mission in Congo to project India's firm and cohesive stance on terrorism.

The delegation, which includes leaders from multiple political parties, embodies this unity in action by collectively conveying India's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism on an international platform.

BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra, a member of the delegation, reinforces this unified message by emphasising the delegation's purpose: to send a strong, clear message globally that India will no longer tolerate terrorism after decades of suffering. His statement underscores the delegation's role as a concrete example of India's coordinated and resolute foreign policy approach that Chinoy highlighted.

'After Pahalgam, we waited for 15 days for Pakistan to take some action against terrorists, but they didn't, and then we targeted their terrorist camps on May 7,' he said.

The delegation includes Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bansuri Swaraj, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP ET Mohammed Basheer, BJP MP Atul Garg, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia, and former Ambassador Sujan Chinoy.

The delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders.

The multi-party delegation, consisting of seven groups led by one MP each, has been initiated to counter global misinformation and highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. (ANI)