India on Friday called upon the member countries to take necessary measures to reform the Shanghai Cooperation Council.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs quoted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar urging the SCO member countries at the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers which is underway in Goa to reform the organization so as to play a greater role in the global affairs and to stand united in the fight against terrorism.
He appealed for "multifaceted cooperation in the SCO and to the promotion of peace, stability, economic development, prosperity and closer interaction between our people." He added that due to COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical upheavals, the world is today facing a multitude of challenges and global supply chains have been disrupted seriously impacting the supply of energy, food and fertilizers which had huge impact on developing nations. He said that these challenges can be turned into opportunities for SCO member states as it has a weightage due to the fact thay more than 40% of the world's population is within the SCO. He also called to face terrorism. "The menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes of this 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," he said. He called to block channel of finances for terrorist activities. "Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO.
The unfolding situation in Afghanistan remains at the center 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," he said. Jaishankar aslo promised to provide it's experience in addressing global affairs and sharing expertise and experience.
"In this regard India's own achievement in the field of startups and innovation is a remarkable journey. Today, there are more than 70,000 startups in India of which more than a hundred are unicorns. We stand ready to share our experience with Member States," he said. He aslo called to reform the SCO as it is in the third decade of existence. "This is an opportune time for its reform and modernization to keep the organization relevant in a rapidly transforming world. I am pleased to note that the discussions on the issues of reform and modernization of the organization have already commenced. I assure you that India will extend its constructive and active support for this process," he said.
"India has proposed a New Delhi Declaration as an SCO Summit Declaration and four other thematic joint statements on cooperation in De-radicalization, strategies, promotion of millets, sustainable lifestyles to address climate change and digital transformation," he said.
Jaishankar held on Thursday talks with his Chinese and Russian counterparts on the sidelines of Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO meeting in Goa.
Foreign Ministers of SCO members including India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are participating in the two-day meeting. Agendas of the SCO meeting include exchange of views on regional and global issues of concern, preparations for the upcoming meeting of the SCO heads of states, preparation of draft documents to be adopted at the summit, discussion on admitting Iran and the Belarus to the SCO as member states.
Source: Kuwait News Agency