During his opening remarks at the Shangahi Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa on Friday, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S. Jaishankar hit out at Pakistan, saying that, as the world was struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the menace of terrorism had continued “unabated.”
No Justification for Terrorism
Jaishankar urged SCO member nations to eliminate all manifestations and forms of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism. The EAM made these comments in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
In his opening address at the summit, Jaishankar said that the SCO countries must remember that combatting terrorism is one of the original SCO mandates. He said there is a need to block and seize the channel of finances for terror activities “without distinction.”
“Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism.”
WATCH: #India's EAM, S. #Jaishankar, hints at #Pakistan's role in facilitating cross-border terrorism and calls on #SCO members to clamp down on terrorism and related funding in the region. #Kashmir #China #Russia pic.twitter.com/yqdTjlxD7V
— Statecraft (@statecraftdaily) May 5, 2023
Pak FM Appeals for Collective Eradication of Terrorism
At the SCO meet, Zardari said, “The collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility.” He appealed to the members to collectively eradicate the menace of terrorism. “Let’s not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring,” Zardari remarked.
The Pakistani FM also highlighted the importance of multilateralism. His address emphasised that a peaceful Afghanistan is critical to global peace and stability.
In his remarks, Zardari said, “When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists.”
FM @BhuttoZardari urged to collectively eradicate the menace of terrorism
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) May 5, 2023
💬" Let’s not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring"#PakFMatSCO pic.twitter.com/H5awOoQDF5
Jaishankar’s Address, SCO Relevancy
The Indian EAM’s address mentioned that the post-COVID world is facing numerous challenges, and the member states should tackle them collectively. He pressed for reform and modernisation to keep the organisation relevant.
Bringing attention to the situation in Afghanistan, he said that the Asian group must make efforts towards ensuring the welfare of the Afghan people. He suggested measures like providing humanitarian assistance, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women and children to tackle the situation.
Jaishankar reiterated India’s demand to make English the third official language of the organisation, along with Russian and Chinese. He appreciated the progress of the membership process of Iran and Belarus, both of which are participating in the meeting. He also welcomed the four new Dialogue Partners of SCO — Kuwait, Myanmar, UAE, and Maldives.
The SCO was founded in 2001 in Shanghai with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as the original members. India and Pakistan became permanent members of the SCO in 2017. With the changing geopolitical landscape, the organisation has acquired renewed importance.