Jaishankar meets President Putin; calls for zero tolerance on terrorism, economic diversification at SCO summit

MOSCOW: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met Russian President Vladimir Putin along with other heads of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) delegations and used his address at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting to deliver a firm message on terrorism, global economic instability and the need for organisational reform.

“Called on President Putin along with other Heads of SCO Delegations this afternoon,” the EAM said in a post on X.

During his address at the SCO meeting, Jaishankar strongly reaffirmed India’s uncompromising stance on terrorism, declaring that there can be “no justification, no looking away and no whitewashing” of terror in any form and firmly asserted India’s sovereign right to defend its citizens.

The EAM called for a “zero tolerance” approach to terrorism and stressed that the SCO must uphold its founding principles of combating the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

“We must never forget that the SCO was founded to combat the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. These threats have become even more serious in the years that have passed. It is imperative that the world displays zero tolerance towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” Jaishankar said.

“There can be no justification, no looking away and no whitewashing. As India has demonstrated, we have the right to defend our people against terrorism and will exercise it. In conclusion, India believes that SCO must adapt to the changing global landscape, develop an expanded agenda and reform its working methods. We will contribute positively and fully to these objectives,” he added.

The EAM’s remarks come at a time of escalating concerns over the rise of terrorist activities, with India witnessing two such incidents in recent times.

On April 22, 26 civilians were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)-affiliated proxy organisation, The Resistance Front (TRF).

Meanwhile, on November 10, a car blast took place near Delhi’s iconic Red Fort, killing at least 15 people and leaving several injured. The Union Cabinet later released a resolution confirming that the blast was a “terror incident”.

Jaishankar, in his remarks, called for a unified approach to address terrorism, with India at the forefront, and also pushed for modernisation and reform of the organisation, calling for greater flexibility, fresh thinking, and long-pending decisions such as making English an official language of the SCO.

“Let me now turn to the modernisation of the SCO. As the organisation continues to evolve, India strongly supports its reform-oriented agenda. We welcome centres addressing challenges such as organised crime, drug trafficking, and cybersecurity. As the organisation becomes more diverse, the SCO must be more flexible and more adaptable. To this end, the long-delayed decision to make English an official language of the SCO must be prioritised. We all recognise that the SCO must keep up with contemporary changes. That must be reflected in fresh thinking and new collaborations.

India’s initiatives, such as the SCO Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation and the SCO Startup Forum, are good examples. They’re aimed at promoting innovation and creativity, especially targeting the younger generation,” he said.

Currently, Russian and Chinese are the official working languages of the group as per the SCO Charter.

Turning to economic issues, Jaishankar warned that the global economic environment remains “particularly uncertain and volatile”, emphasising the urgent need to de-risk and diversify supply chains and stressing that trade engagements must remain fair, transparent and equitable.

“The theme of this session covers trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. Let me summarise India’s approach to trade and economic issues that we discussed in the last session. We assess the global economic situation to be particularly uncertain and volatile currently. Supply-side

risks have been aggravated by demand-side complexities. There is consequently an urgent requirement to de-risk and diversify,” Jaishankar said.

“This is best done by as many of us forging the widest possible economic links. For that to happen, it is essential that this process be fair, transparent and equitable. India’s endeavours to conclude free trade arrangements with many of you here are relevant,” the EAM added.

He also referenced India’s efforts to advance free trade arrangements with several SCO partners.

On cultural and humanitarian cooperation, the EAM underscored India’s unique civilisational connection with the SCO region and called for deeper people-to-people engagement and citing India’s Buddhist relic exhibitions abroad and offering New Delhi’s heritage conservation expertise to Central Asian nations.

“As a civilisational state, India strongly believes that people-to-people exchanges lie at the core of any genuine relationship. Facilitating greater interaction between our intellectuals, artists, sportspeople, and cultural icons will pave the way for a deeper understanding across the SCO. We also have a growing record of collaborative activities with regard to cultural exchanges. The exposition of sacred Buddhist relics in many of your countries is a notable example. India is also willing to extend its considerable experience of heritage conservation in Southeast Asia to Central Asia,” Jaishankar said.

He also highlighted India’s humanitarian outreach and recalled the deployment of cancer treatment equipment, vaccines, and medical supplies during the pandemic, as well as rapid relief assistance to earthquake-hit Afghanistan.

Following his address, the EAM had separate exchanges on the sidelines of the forum, saying he had a “quick chat” with Mongolia’s Prime Minister Gombojavyn Zandanshatar and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

“A quick chat with PM Gombojavyn Zandanshatar of Mongolia and PM & FM Al Thani of Qatar on the sidelines of the SCO today,” the EAM said in a post on X.
https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1990793373159206926

Jaishankar further thanked Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin for hosting the summit, appreciating the “hospitality and warmth of welcome”.

“Thank PM Mikhail Mishustin for hosting the SCO Heads of Government meeting today. Appreciate his hospitality and warmth of welcome,” Jaishankar stated in another post.
The 24th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO member states took place in Moscow on November 17 and 18.

In addition to India, the SCO comprises 10 member countries: Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. There are also several dialogue partners and observers.

India has been a member of the SCO since 2017, following its status as an Observer since 2005. (ANI)