Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 21st meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) today. Leading the Indian delegation, PM Modi addressed the plenary session of the SCO Summit via video link, while External Affairs minister Dr. S Jaishankar is representing the country at the meeting being held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The SCO summit is being held in a hybrid format in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, where some participants are attending the meetings physically, while others joined via video links.
PM Modi started his speech by welcoming the latest member of SCO, Iran, and three new dialogue partners, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar. With Iran, the number of full members of SCO has gone up to nine, the existing members are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
The PM said that the expansion of the SCO shows the growing influence of the organisation, adding that SCO will become more powerful and credible with the inclusion of new members.
Narendra Modi said that the biggest challenges in the region are related to peace, security and trust deficit, and the prime reason behind these problems is growing radicalisation. He added that the recent developments in Afghanistan have made this challenge even more prominent, and suggested that the SCO should take the initiative to work in this regard.
Saying that the Central Asia region has been a pillar of moderate and progressive cultures and values, PM Modi said that SCO should develop a common template to fight radicalisation and extremism based on this historic foundation of Central Asia. He said that there are moderate, tolerant and inclusive organisations and traditions associated with Islam in India and other SCO countries. He suggested that SCO should work towards developing a network among such institutions.
He praised the useful works done by the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the SCO in this regard. He said that while the fight against radicalisation is important for regional peace and mutual trust, it is crucial for bright futures of the youths.
The Indian prime minister said that to compete with the developed world, the region will have to become a stack holder in emerging technologies. For this, science and rational thinking will have to be encouraged among the youths. He suggested that such innovative spirits can be encouraged by interlinking entrepreneurs and start-ups. With this thinking, the first ever SCO Startup Forum and SCO Young Scientists Conclave was organised in India last year.
PM Modi said that due to radicalisation and lack of security, the economic potential of this vast region remains untapped. He emphasised on connectivity among the member states to realise the full benefits of minerals and intra-SCO trade. Saying that connectivity is the foundation of the prosperity of the region, he said that India is committed to increasing its connectivity with Central Asia. ‘We believe that landlocked Central Asian countries can benefit immensely by connecting with India’s vast market,’ he added.
The PM said that unfortunately, several connectivity options are not open for the Central Asian countries at present. He said that any connectivity initiative cannot be a one-way street, connectivity projects should be consultative, transparent & participatory to ensure mutual trust, and should include the respect for territorial integrity of all the countries. SCO should develop appropriate norms for connectivity projects in the region based on these principles, he added.
PM Modi said that only this will restore the traditional connectivity in the region, and connectivity projects will join the nations instead of increasing the distance among them.
Closing his remarks, the PM assured India’s full cooperation in the connectivity projects, and said that his suggestions on radicalisation, connectivity and people-to-people contacts will strengthen the roles of the SCO.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the summit. He also held meetings with his counterparts from Iran, Armenia and Uzbekistan, and exchanged views on the recent developments in Afghanistan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is also attending the meeting via video link. Afghan issue is likely to dominate discussions at the summit, as most SCO members are neighbours of Afghanistan. The leaders of most neighbours of Afghanistan are gathering at Dushanbe for the first time after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, and it is expected that a joint declaration on Afghanistan issues may be issued in the summit.
