For the first time since Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, Pakistan was named in the India-Russia joint statement on Tuesday, which urged Pakistan for expediting punishment to all those involved.

In response to a question, visiting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said a modern and civilised state could not hide terrorists and should extradite them if it was interested in cooperating in the fight against terrorism.

?Terrorists are criminals … they should be extradited to be punished. Those who hide terrorists conceal criminals,? Medvedev said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, after an hour-long one-to-one meeting.

?We understand that the extradition process is quite complicated but it is important that international cooperation in this field should be in place between all those interested in the fight against terrorism…I believe that no modern civilised state can hide terrorists as law abiding citizens and cannot proceed on the assumption that they will change,? he said, adding that “they (terrorists) are subject to punishment for the evils they have committed. To extradite them, we need legal, bilateral agreements. Once they are in place, it should be applied between countries, including countries in this region.?

In the joint statement, the tow sided ?called upon Pakistan to expeditiously bring all the perpetrators, authors and accomplices of the Mumbai attacks to justice.?

The joint statement also expressed concern at the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, where successful stabilisation will be possible only after the elimination of safe havens and infrastructure for terrorism and violent extremism that are present in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Again, in a veiled reference to Islamabad, it said that they strongly condemned those who support terrorism noting that ?states that aid, abet or shelter terrorists are as guilty of acts of terrorism as their actual perpetrators?.

Describing international terrorism as a threat to peace and security, a grave violation of human rights, and a crime against humanity, the joint statement said there was no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism, and that multi-ethnic democratic countries like India and Russia were especially vulnerable to acts of terrorism which are attacks against the values and freedoms enshrined in their societies.

?Both sides reaffirm the need for all states to combine efforts to vanquish this evil,? the joint statement said, adding that the central role of the UN in the combat against international terrorism and called for an early completion of the negotiations on the UN?s draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

Russia?s naming of Pakistan in the joint statement is a step ahead from the previous two joint statements, one was signed on December 5, 2008 (days after the Mumbai attack) and the other on December 7, 2009.

In 2008, Moscow had expressed solidarity and support to India in connection with terrorist attacks in Mumbai and had called upon all states to cooperate actively with and provide support and assistance to the Indian authorities in their efforts to find and bring the perpetrators to justice in India in accordance with the obligations under international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions on fighting terrorism.