Reiterating India’s stand that terror and talks can’t go together, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday ruled out bilateral talks with his Pakistani counterpart on the sideline of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ meeting. He said, “Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism.”
Jaishankar termed Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari a “promoter, justifier and a spokesperson” of the terrorism industry, and said his position on the menace was called out at the SCO meeting on Friday.
Addressing the conclave, Jaishankar said “Taking our eyes off the menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.”
“The channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO,” he added in an apparent reference to Pakistan.
Chairing the meet, he said India firmly believes that there can be no justification for terrorism and noted that combating the menace is one of the original mandates of the SCO.
Bilawal was present when Jaishankar underlined the challenges posed by scourge of terrorism at the two-day SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
Jaishankar also underlined that while connectivity is key to progress, it must come with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states. It was in apparent reference to China. Its foreign minister Qin Gang was also present at the conclave.
The meeting at a luxury hotel in this beach resort was attended by Qin Gang, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and their counterparts from other SCO member nations.
In his remarks, Bilawal said the “collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility.
“Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Let’s not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring. When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists,” the Pakistan foreign minister said. Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi in 2007.
Bhutto-Zardari said he and his country are firmly committed to be part of regional and global efforts for eradicating terrorism. “This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach. It demands we address the root causes as well as the threats posed by specific groups. It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship,” he added.
Jaishankar also delved into the situation in Afghanistan and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the consequences of geo-political upheavals that impacted supplies of energy, food and fertilisers.
On Afghanistan, he said the unfolding situation in that country remains at “centre of our attention. Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people. Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities.”
Jaishankar noted that current crises facing the world have exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and effective manner. He said reform and modernisation of the SCO will aid a more contemporary outlook which India will actively support.
The external affairs minister also noted the progress for the admission of Iran and Belarus as full member states of the SCO. He also said constructive steps are being taken to make English the third official language of SCO. Currently, Chinese and Russian are the two official languages of the SCO.
In his address, the Pakistan foreign minister, talking about the challenge of terrorism, also said that practical and pragmatic solutions exist to put an end to “this chapter once and for all”.
“We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors. Condemn all forms of terrorism including state sponsored terrorism,” he added.
Bhutto-Zardari also called upon “interim Afghan authorities” to uphold their commitments on not allowing the use of Afghan soil for terrorism.
The Pakistan foreign minister also made a special mention of the “commendable role” China has recently played in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“We must ensure respect for these universally recognised principles within the SCO. Unilateral and illegal measures by States in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives,” he said.
“We need to be unambiguous in keeping our commitments and charting out a new future for our people. One that is not based on conflict preservation but on conflict resolution,” he said.
After the SCO meet was over, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted “The SCO Council of Foreign Ministers chaired by EAM Dr S Jaishankar concludes. Members discussed the preparations for the upcoming SCO Summit in India and global and regional situations. Combating terrorism, expansion and reform of the organisation was also on the agenda.”
The SCO summit will be held in New Delhi in July and chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jingping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are likely to attend the high-profile event where 15 decisions will be ratified. The SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet in Goa discussed these proposed decisions related to trade and other issues concerning the region.
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 its permanent members in 2017.
India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.
India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.