External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said terrorism is a major challenge facing the world today and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will have to play a key role in the security of the region.
In an interview to Kazinform news agency in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Foreign Minister said that the SCO’s priority is to fight against three evils – terrorism, separatism and extremism.
He said, “There is no doubt that the biggest challenge facing the world today is terrorism. It has become a threat to regional and global peace and we must all take urgent action. In this aspect, I am glad that Kazakhstan during its presidency has negotiated an updated programme to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, which was adopted at the Astana Summit.”
Foreign Minister Jaishankar said, “The fight against the three evils – terrorism, separatism and extremism – is a priority in the SCO.”
He further said that during India’s chairmanship of SCO last year, some joint statements were adopted on this subject.
Jaishankar said that Kazakhstan has also carried forward the spirit of the joint statement. He also emphasized the importance of implementation of these statements.
The External Affairs Minister said, “During the New Delhi Summit last year, one of the two joint statements adopted was on ‘Countering radicalisation that leads to terrorism, separatism and extremism’. The statements covered various elements of radicalisation – including ideology, media campaigns, as well as radical and terrorist content on the Internet.”
He further said, “Kazakhstan carried forward the spirit of the Joint Statement during its chairmanship. The updated programme to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism is important and timely. But I want to stress that what is more important is the actual implementation of the programme that we have now successfully formulated, which includes a clear commitment by all Member States to get rid of all forms and manifestations of terrorism in the region, including cross-border terrorism.”
Jaishankar represented India at the SCO Council of Heads of State (SCO Summit) held under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan in Astana.
He delivered the speech on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Foreign Minister also held several bilateral meetings and meetings with his counterparts and other global leaders.
Emphasising on the role of SCO in the security of the region, Jaishankar said that SCO as an organisation should be allowed to utilise its full potential. He also highlighted the theme of the SCO summit in 2023 under India’s chairmanship, ‘Towards a Secure SCO’.
“In fact, India’s priorities for its chairmanship last year were on the theme ‘Towards a Secure SCO’ – SECURE is an acronym that stands for Security, Economic Cooperation, Connectivity, Integration, Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity, and Environment,” the External Affairs Minister said.
He said, “When we talk of regional security in the context of SCO, the most important issue is terrorism, including cross-border terrorism. Today, even decades after taking steps against terrorism at global forums, including the UN Security Council, terrorism continues to pose a threat to the region. UN-designated terrorist organisations are still active in the region.”
He further said that combating terrorism requires a comprehensive approach not only against those who perpetrate the heinous acts of terrorism but also against the facilitators, financiers and sponsors of terrorism.
He said, “All of them should be identified and punished.”
Jaishankar said the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) has a reasonable basis to propose measures against terrorism in the region.
“We are ready to strengthen the SCO mechanisms on this front. I hope that the proposed Universal Centre to be set up within RATS in Tashkent, together with other specialized centres under the Universal Centre, will become the most prominent counter-terrorism structure in the region,” he said.
Stressing the need to build consensus, the External Affairs Minister said that any security initiative or paradigm must be framed keeping in mind the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries involved.
The Foreign Minister also elaborated on the threat of drug trafficking. He said there is a consensus on setting up an anti-drug centre in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and along with the Universal Centre, it will be an effective weapon to combat drug trafficking.
“Drug trafficking is another issue that we have to tackle together, and it is very closely linked to two other issues in the region – terrorism and stability in Afghanistan. There is a consensus on setting up an anti-drug centre in Dushanbe. This is a welcome step and much needed. The anti-drug centre along with the proposed universal centre will be an effective weapon in combating drug trafficking,” Mr Jaishankar said.
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