 "PM Modi")
In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) should not hesitate to criticise nations using cross-border terrorism as a policy instrument, and providing shelter to terrorists.
Speaking at the annual summit of the SCO leaders held virtually under India's presidency, Modi said there should be no place for double standards on such serious matters and flagged the need for enhanced mutual cooperation on battling terror financing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the meeting, among others. Modi’s statements on terrorism coincided with the SCO adopting a thematic joint statement on cooperation in countering radicalisation leading to separatism, extremism, and terrorism.
While the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), a permanent part of the SCO, is tasked with coordinating counterterrorism efforts across member-countries, the PM said these nations should also take proactive steps to prevent the spread of radicalisation among the youth.
The SCO is a political, economic, and security alliance historically led by Russia and China representing approximately 40 per cent of the world’s population and nearly one-third of the global economy. It is considered the most important conclave in the Central Asian region, where other nations have a significant interest in trade, connectivity, and resource extraction. The SCO comprises nine countries -- China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
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The SCO nations adopted the New Delhi declaration which proposed four other joint statements on de-radicalisation, sustainable lifestyle to tackle climate change, production of millets, and digital transformation.
The PM said the Indian presidency had been successful in preparing several important documents, namely on cooperation on new areas, such as emerging fuels, decarbonisation in the transportation sector, and digital transformation, and digital public infrastructure.
Arguing that SCO nations have contributed to the economic and social development of Afghanistan over the past two decades, Modi said the nation’s territory should not be used to spread instability in neighboring countries or to encourage extremist ideologies.
Indian presidency
The PM said the organisation can become an important voice for reforms in global institutions, including the UN. However, Modi said it was essential for SCO to maintain its primary focus on the interests and aspirations of the Central Asian countries.
Flagging the need for reforms and modernisation within the SCO itself, the PM said India’s Artificial Intelligence-based language platform, Bhashini can be shared with everyone to remove language barriers within the SCO.
India assumed the rotational annual Presidency of the SCO last year — only the sixth summit India participates in as a full-fledged member. India held more than 134 events, 15 ministerial meetings, and four heads of agencies meetings as part of its presidency, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a media briefing on Tuesday.
As part of New Delhi’s initiative, two new mechanisms have been created at the SCO – a special working group on start-ups and innovation, and an expert-level working group on traditional medicines. It has focused on reviving the countries’ “shared Buddhist heritage”, and sought to promote tourism in many places in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh associated with Buddhism.
Kazakhstan has taken over as the next chairman of the SCO.
