Intern'l laws, mechanisms need implementation without 'double standards' to combat terrorism: India at SCO

Existing international laws and mechanisms are needed to be implemented without "double standards" to combat terrorists, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during his address at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet here on Saturday.

"Terrorism continues to disrupt our societies and undermine our developmental endeavours. The only way to fight this scourge is to strengthen and implement, without exceptions or double standards, all existing international laws and mechanisms to combat terrorists and their enablers," tweeted the Defence Ministry.

Singh is on a three-day visit to Uzbekistan to represent India at the meeting of the SCO's Council of Heads of Government (CHG).

"The leaders participating in the Meeting are expected to focus their discussions on the multilateral economic cooperation/economic development in the SCO region," the MEA said in a statement ahead of Singh's visit.

During the meeting, the defence minister termed terrorism as a "multidimensional, complex, and transnational" problem and called upon the international community to come together to fight the menace.

"These new threats are multidimensional, complex, and transnational in nature. What is worse, they have a disproportionately adverse impact on developing countries. Climate change, terrorism, endemic poverty and inequality etc. can only be defeated together, not alone," Singh said.

"It is important for SCO countries to come together to deal with this menace. I wish to congratulate Russia for successful holding the SCO joint military exercise CENTER 2019 in Orenburg aimed at evolving drills of the participating armies in the fight against terrorism," he added.

India is actively engaged in various SCO cooperation activities and dialogue mechanisms in the region as well as to further develop multilateral cooperation within the SCO framework.

Singh was received by Uzbeki Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov at the SCO meeting on Saturday. Apart from participating in the SCO meeting, the defence minister will also hold bilateral engagements with Uzbekistan.