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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had a telephonic conversation with French Foreign Minister Le Drian and informed her about France imposing sanctions on JeM chief Masood Azhar by freezing his assets.
The External Affairs Ministry said that Drian informed Swaraj about the action taken by Paris against the leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, which had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack.
France sanctioned Azhar at the national level by freezing his assets, the MEA said, days after China blocked a move to designate him as a global terrorist by the United Nations.
The MEA said the French foreign minister also informed Swaraj that France has raised the issue with the European Union. “He reiterated that France has always been and will always be on India side in the fight against terrorism,” the MEA said.
On her part, Swaraj thanked Drian for France’s “steadfast support” and said that India looked forward to continuing this cooperation on the anti-terrorism front.
