India Asks SCO Nations to Act Strongly Against Terrorism and its Enablers

NEW DELHI: India has asked member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to strengthen and implement all existing international laws and mechanisms, without exceptions or double standards, to combat terrorism and its enablers.
“Terrorism continues to disrupt our societies and undermine our developmental endeavors. It is important for SCO countries to come together to deal with this menace,” said defence minister Rajnath Singh, speaking as the special envoy of PM Narendra Modi at the council of heads of government of SCO at Tashkent in Uzbekistan on Saturday.

The SCO has eight full members, India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, while another six nations are “dialogue partners” and four have been accorded “observer” status.
While the process of globalization has opened immense opportunities for the growth of SCO members, it had also brought to the fore multidimensional, complex and transnational threats affecting developing countries, said Singh.

SCO nations must work together to defeat challenges like terrorism, climate change, endemic poverty, under development, pandemics and inequality, he said, while congratulating Russia for successfully conducting the grouping’s military exercise “CENTER 2019” in Orenburg to evolve drills of the participating armies in the fight against international terrorism.
Turning to economic development, the defence minister said the Indian government had resolved to provide an enabling economic ecosystem for partner countries to invest and do business in India. He listed out various initiatives taken by India, ranging from relaxing FDI reforms and allowing 100% per cent foreign investment in coal mining and contract manufacturing to easing sourcing norms for single-brand retailers and approving 26% overseas investment in digital media.
Highlighting the government’s “Make in India” programme and the measures taken to improve the “ease of doing business” in the country, Singh invited SCO countries to enter collaborative joint ventures in India.

“Unilateralism and protectionism has done good to none,” said the minister, reiterating India’s commitment to a transparent, rules-based, open, inclusive and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its center.
“We need approaches, which are inclusive, transparent and firmly anchored in multilateralism. Successful multilateralism also needs adherence to core principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference and mutual cooperation,” he added.

Source: TOI

Image Courtesy: AIR