Moscow [Russia], May 24 (ANI): BJP MP Captain Brijesh Chowta (Retd), who is among the members of the all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi to Russia, said that the first day of the visit was 'fruitful.'

Chowta said that the delegation members met with representatives of the lower and upper houses. They also had the opportunity to speak about India's 'position' and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'message.' He stated that PM Modi has categorically said that 'terror and trade cannot happen together.'

'It has been a very fruitful first day in Moscow...we met representatives from Lower House and Upper House...we got to speak on India's position and PM's message. He had categorically said that terror and trade cannot happen together, and blood and water can't flow together...he has sent this message to the global power too...the terror we are facing in our nation...it is state-sponsored terror from Pakistan. The world needs to take cognisance of this...we are confident that Russia, our long-standing ally, will stand with this', he said.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai, also part of the delegation, considered Russia an 'oldest' friend. He stated that Operation Sindoor was a 'reaction, a symptom and a diagnosis'.

'Today we had a lot of meetings with the top officials here. Russia is our oldest friend. They said that they are with India in this fight...whatever happened in Operation Sindoor was a reaction, a symptom and a diagnosis. The diagnosis is that unless we eliminate its roots, which are in Pakistan, unless we dismantle the terrorist camps there and force Pakistan to keep a distance from such people...those countries which think that if there is terrorism in India, it is between India and Pakistan, this thinking needs to be changed', Rajeev Rai said.

The all-party delegation to Russia, led by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi, held a press conference in Moscow where they shared how terrorism being spread by Pakistan is harming the world at large, and that India wants to act as an ambassador of the anti-terrorist drive of the world.

Speaking about the misinformation campaign being spread by Pakistan, DMK MP Kanimozhi said, 'There is a lot of misinformation which has been spread... about the attacks which happened... We want to clarify what the truth was and what actually happened. India wants to specifically give the message that India refuses to be blackmailed by the threat of nuclear weapons. We will fight for our integrity. We will stand as one against terror attacks. So this is the message we wanted to reach to the world, and of course we've worked with Russia for many years, and we would seek the understanding of Russia and we would hope that they will be in a position to be able to support us very strongly because I think they know beyond doubt that India stands for peace.

'During the event, AAP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal slammed Pakistan and said that Pakistan is not only nourishing terrorism but is also nurturing, supporting and promoting terrorism throughout the world.

He added, 'Whole world is suffering because of the terrorism being nurtured by Pakistan. India has also suffered very heavily... But India wants to be the ambassador of anti-terrorist drive of the world, because we know what terrorism is. We have suffered from all quarters, and we don't want that the other countries of the world should suffer. In India there is a saying, 'Vasudhev Kutumbakam', which means the entire world is one family. We believe in that. We believe in peace.'

The delegation led by Kanimozhi includes SP MP Rajeev Rai, BJP MP Captain Brijesh Chowta, RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta, AAP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal, and former Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri.

Apart from Russia, the delegation's visit spans several countries, including Slovenia, Greece, Latvia, and Spain, highlighting Operation Sindoor and India's unwavering fight against terrorism. (ANI)