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Tashkent, Aug 24 Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called upon Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to unitedly fight against terrorism and eliminate the menace in all its forms. Addressing the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting at Tashkent, Uzbekistan on August 24, 2022, the Raksha Mantri asserted that terrorism in any form, including cross-border terrorism, committed by anyone and for whatever purpose, is a crime against humanity.
“Terrorism is one of the most serious challenges to global peace and security. India reiterates its resolve to fight all forms of terrorism and make the region peaceful, secure and stable. We seek to develop joint institutional capabilities with the SCO member states, which, while respecting the sensitivities of each country, create the spirit of cooperation among individuals, societies and nations,” Minister said.
In this context, Minister proposed to host a workshop in India in 2023 on the theme ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief – Risk mitigation and Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’ for the Defence Ministries of SCO Member States. He also suggested an annual seminar on ‘Topic of Interest’ among the defence think tanks of SCO countries. “We propose to organise the first such defence think tank seminar in India in 2023,” he added.
Rajnath Singh also threw light on India’s age-old ties with SCO countries, asserting that the Member States of the Organisation are common stakeholders in the progress and prosperity of the region. “India accords high priority to SCO because of its unwavering belief in multilateralism. There is a need to strengthen ties with SCO member states bilaterally and within the framework of the organisation on the basis of equality, respect and mutual understanding,” he said. The Raksha Mantri invited all SCO Member States to visit India next year when New Delhi takes over the presidency of the Organisation from Uzbekistan.
After his bilateral meetings with his Uzbek, Kazakh and Belarusian counterparts yesterday, the Raksha Mantri is scheduled to meet Defence Minister of Kyrgyzstan later today. During exchange of pleasantries with Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu this morning, Rajnath Singh conveyed his deep appreciation and thanks for arresting in Moscow a terrorist who was planning attacks in India.