Underlining the challenge posed by the scourge of terrorism, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member nations to collectively work towards eliminating terror in all its forms and fix accountability on its supporters. 

This message was in an oblique reference to Pakistan whose Defence Minister Khawaja Asif attended the conclave in the virtual mode.

Rajnath also said India envisioned a robust framework of regional cooperation which “mutually respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member States by taking care of their legitimate interests.”

Similarly, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, too, urged SCO members to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity of member countries on Friday, even as he stressed that connectivity with SCO countries was a priority for India.

He made these remarks while chairing the 10th meeting of SCO Transport Ministers and emphasised on ensuring demand driven, sustainable development, while respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries. He further said India attaches special attention to SCO in promoting economy and people-to-people interaction in the region.

Significantly, Rajnath made assertions on the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member States” with the Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu present at the SCO Defence Ministers’ meet here.

Rajnath also said New Delhi strives to further bolster trust and cooperation among the members of the grouping as it believes in maintaining peace and security based on the provisions of the United Nations (UN) charter.

Elaborating on the need to contain terrorism effectively, Rajnath asserted that any kind of terrorist act or support to it in any form is a major crime against humanity and peace and prosperity cannot coexist with this menace.

“If a nation shelters terrorists, it not only poses a threat to others but to itself too. The radicalisation of youth is a cause for concern, not only from the point of view of security, but it is also a major obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society,” he said.

“If we want to make the SCO a stronger and more credible international organisation, our top-most priority should be to effectively deal with terrorism,” the Defence Minister said.

Sharing his insights on the vision to ensure collective prosperity, Rajnath called for concerted efforts by SCO member States so that the region, with limitless possibilities in today’s multilateral world, shifts to the mindset of ‘great gain from win-win paradigm’ from ‘great game of zero-sum, win-lose paradigm’.

“India has always followed the principle of ‘Let us walk together and move forward together’. Every era has a zeitgeist (defining spirit). The zeitgeist of the present era is ‘win-win cooperation for great gain’,” he said.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

It was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017.

Rajnath Singh also elaborated on the concept of ‘SECURE’ floated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the SCO summit in Qingdao, China in 2018. He stated that every alphabet of the word ‘SECURE’ reflects India’s commitment towards the multi-dimensional welfare of the region.

Drawing the attention of the member States to various dimensions of ‘SECURE’, Rajnath said today a large part of the world is passing through a food crisis. He urged the SCO member countries to ensure food security under an integrated plan. This will establish SCO as a role model for the whole world, he said.

To deal with the issue of climate change, he called for working on a common strategy, giving priority to mitigation and adaptation. Energy security should be a part of the common strategy, he added.

Rajnath also touched upon the two defence-related activities launched by India, as the SCO chair, to increase interoperability among member States. These are: A workshop on ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)’ and a seminar on ‘defence think-tanks of SCO countries’. Both the events witnessed enthusiastic participation from all SCO countries.

He voiced India’s commitment towards defence capacity-building of SCO member States through training and co-manufacturing and co-development of items. He said as security challenges are not limited to any one country, India is moving forward with a collaborative approach in the field of defence partnership, keeping in mind the shared interests.

At the end of the deliberations, all SCO member countries signed a protocol, expressing their collective will to make the region secure, peaceful and prosperous.

Addressing media after the meeting, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said all the member nations arrived at the consensus on several areas of cooperation, including dealing with terrorism, security of vulnerable populations in various countries as well as humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR).

He said all member States were unanimous in their statements that terrorism, in all its forms, must be condemned and eliminated. He exuded confidence that many areas identified for cooperation will be acted upon in the times to come and India, as the SCO chair, will lead from the front in ensuring a safe and secure future for the region and the world as a whole.

Defence Ministers of China (General Li Shangfu); Russia (General Sergei Shoigu); Iran (Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani); Belarus (Lt Gen Khrenin VG); Kazakhstan (Col Gen Ruslan Zhaxylykov); Uzbekistan (Lt Gen Bakhodir Kurbanov); Kyrgyzstan (Lt Gen Bekbolotov Baktybek Asankalievich) and Tajikistan (Col Gen Sherali Mirzo) attended the meeting.

The Ministers discussed issues of common concern including issues of regional and international security under charter of the SCO during the meeting.