SCO must take ‘uncompromising position’ on terrorism – Jaishankar

India’s foreign minister has called on the group to stay true to its founding objectives

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to take an “uncompromising position” on terrorism and stay true to its founding objectives. 

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Speaking at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting on Tuesday in Tianjin, China, he said the challenge for the grouping is to stabilize the global order and address longstanding challenges that threaten its collective interests. 

“The three evils that SCO was founded to combat were terrorism, separatism and extremism,” Jaishankar said. “Not surprisingly, they often occur together.” 

The Indian minister took the example of a terror attack in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in April that claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists. “It was deliberately conducted to undermine the tourism economy of Jammu and Kashmir, while sowing a religious divide,” he added. 

“It is imperative that the SCO, to remain true to its founding objectives, take an uncompromising position on this challenge,” he said. 

The meeting was also attended by Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar.

New Delhi has blamed the April attack in Kashmir on Islamabad and struck suspected terrorist targets in Pakistan-controlled territory in response in May. This led to a military exchange that ended in four days with a ceasefire. 

At the SCO meeting, Dar said Pakistan seeks a “relationship of peace with all its neighbors,” according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry. 

In Tianjin, Jaishankar also called on the SCO members to assist Afghanistan. “The compulsions of regional stability are buttressed by our longstanding concern for the well-being of the Afghan people,” he said. “The international community, particularly SCO members, must therefore step up with development assistance. India, for its part, will certainly do so.”

The foreign ministers met in the Chinese city to prepare for the 25th Heads of State Council meeting, which will be held on August 31.