NEW DELHI: India’s imprint was apparent in a joint statement the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) issued on Tuesday after their virtual summit, as it said it was inadmissible for states to use terrorist and extremist groups for achieving their political and geopolitical objectives.
Describing terrorism as “criminal and unjustifiable”, the SCO states also agreed to develop common principles and approaches to form a unified list of terrorist, separatist and extremist organisations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the member nations of the grouping.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the tone for India’s hardline on the matter earlier in the day, saying SCO nations must not hesitate to criticise countries supporting cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy. He added that there must not be any double standards in combating terror. While he did not mention Pakistan or China, the intent to call them out was clear.
With Iran on Tuesday becoming a full member of the SCO, Modi hoped it would improve connectivity within the grouping as its Chabahar port could be used for enhanced trading activity. For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the setting up of an SCO Development Bank and trade in local currencies. Quoting Rabindranath Tagore, he said, “The sea of danger, doubt and denial around man’s little island of certainty challenges him to dare the unknown.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin in his address said, “The Russian people are more consolidated than ever. The unity and high responsibility for the fate of the country was clearly demonstrated by the Russian political circles and the whole of society in uniting against the attempted armed rebellion.”
He added that Russia’s trade with SCO member states has increased by 37%, reaching a record high of $263 billion last year. From January to April this year, it went up by another 35%. The leaders signed the New Delhi Declaration and approved the SCO Economic Development Strategy to 2030, to promote regional integration, banking and finance, and cooperation in energy, transport and digitisation.
India keeps the door shut on China’s BRI project
India again refused to endorse China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It’s the only SCO country not to support the project. A declaration issued at the end of the summit on Tuesday said Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan reaffirmed their support to the BRI project
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies, provide shelter to terrorists. The SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations
Xi Jinping, Chinese president
We should make foreign policies independently. We must be vigilant against external attempts to foment a new Cold War or camp-based confrontation in our region
Vladimir Putin, Russian President
The share of the Ruble in export transactions with all the SCO countries exceeded 40% in 2022... We are making wider use of national currencies for mutual settlements
Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan PM
The hydra-headed monster of terror must be fought with full vigour... Any temptation to use it as a cudgel for diplomatic point-scoring must be avoided