PM Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Framing security as a non-negotiable prerequisite for regional progress, PM Narendra Modi delivered a thinly veiled warning to Pakistan over state-sponsored terrorism at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
With Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif in attendance, Modi said countries that use terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and provide shelter and support to terrorists, must be sent a strong message that terrorism can never be a strategic asset for anyone.The remarks by PM on this occasion are significant also because of the timing.
Pakistan assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO from Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday and will host the heads of state summit next year, for which it will invite Modi along with all other leaders.Modi made the remarks while expanding on India’s SCO vision - Security, Connectivity and Opportunity - that he articulated in Tianjin last year.
With Chinese President Xi Jinping also present, the PM reiterated India's position that all connectivity initiatives must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States as this is also the "fundamental spirit" of the SCO Charter.Modi said that terrorism continued to pose a serious challenge to humanity and it’s important to not remain confined to an action-reaction approach in the fight against the menace.
“We must dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalisation, and safe havens.
We must speak with one voice and make it clear that there can be no place for double standards on this serious issue,” said the PM, without naming Pakistan as the SCO Charter doesn’t allow members to raise bilateral differences.India and Pakistan together joined the China-dominated Eurasian grouping as full members in 2017.
For India, the security-oriented SCO has served as a platform not just to assert its strategic autonomy but also flag regional risks from state-sponsored terrorism.Modi said that the bloc’s shared aspiration for a peaceful and secure Eurasia is also closely linked to peace and stability in Afghanistan and that India will continue to contribute to the development and provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of the country.Modi also addressed the West Asia crisis in his remarks saying it was affecting energy security, maritime trade, and supply chains around the world and recalling his message earlier that conflicts cannot be resolved on the battlefield.
“The countries of the Global South bear the greatest brunt of such disruptions.
Therefore, India has consistently called for all tensions and conflicts to be resolved not on the battlefield, but through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.While underlining the importance India attaches to SCO, Modi said that at a time the world is passing through uncertainty and instability, the Organisation must transform the shared geography into shared opportunities and bring about positive change in the lives of the people.
Describing SCO as a confluence of great civilisations, cultures, and ideas, he said that over the next 25 years, people-to-people ties should remain at the heart of cooperation among the member-states.“The true measure of our success should be how many new opportunities our efforts create for young people, how many new markets open up for our entrepreneurs, how much our farmers benefit from technology, and how much better the lives of our citizens become,” said the PM.Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines According to an Indian readout of Modi’s participation in the summit, Modi stated that strong and trusted connectivity initiatives were important for the group’s shared progress and prosperity.“Underlining that India supports connectivity efforts that link markets, enhance trade and open new opportunities for development, he reiterated that such efforts should respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations.
He further elaborated that technology, entrepreneurship, innovation, start-ups and people-to-people initiatives open immense opportunities for people in the SCO countries,” said the Indian readout.Get the latest India News and Live updates.
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