Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies and provide shelter to terrorists. He stressed that SCO should not hesitate to criticize such nations. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) virtual summit, Mr. Modi underlined that there should be no place for double standards on such serious matters.
He emphasized on the need to enhance mutual cooperation in dealing with terror financing as well. Underlining that terrorism has become a major threat to regional and global peace, the Prime Minister emphasized that dealing with this challenge requires decisive action. Mr. Modi added that regardless of its form or manifestation, the SCO countries must unite in their fight against terrorism.
Highlighting that India's concerns and expectations regarding Afghanistan are similar to those of most of the SCO countries, the Prime Minister said the people of the two countries have centuries-old friendly relations and New Delhi has contributed to the economic and social development of Afghanistan. He also said it is important that Afghanistan's territory is not being used to spread instability in neighboring countries or to encourage extremist ideologies.
Mr. Modi said the SCO has emerged as a significant platform for peace, prosperity and development in the entire Asian region in the past two decades. He also said India has made continuous efforts to take SCO's multi-dimensional cooperation to new heights as its Chairperson. Mr. Modi said, India has established five new pillars of cooperation within the SCO. They are Startups and Innovation, Traditional Medicine, Youth Empowerment, Digital Inclusion, and Shared Buddhist Heritage. The Prime Minister also said, India has made efforts to ensure that cooperation within the SCO is not limited to governments alone. He added that under India's chairmanship, new initiatives have been taken to enhance contact and engagement among people.
For the first time, the SCO Millet Food Festival, Film Festival, SCO Surajkund Craft Mela, Think Tanks Conference, and International Conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage were organized.
Prime Minister Modi also said in a world surrounded by conflicts, tensions and pandemics, food, fuel, and fertilizer crises is a significant challenge for all nations and stressed on the need to collectively ponder upon whether SCO are capable, as an organization, of fulfilling the aspirations and expectations of people? He said the SCO represents approximately 40 percent of the world's population and nearly one-third of the global economy and it is the SCO nations' shared responsibility to understand each other's needs and sensitivities. He also said India supports proposals for reforms and modernization within the SCO. Mr. Modi said SCO can also become an important voice for reforms in global institutions, including the UN. The Prime Minister added that Iran is going to join the SCO family as a new member.
