Prime Minister Narendra Modi, virtually addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday, stressed the need to stop radicalisation of youth. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif joined the summit virtually.
India chairing the SCO summit
India, under its chairmanship, is hosting the summit this year, a mere two weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the United States, where he was welcomed by President Joe Biden.
The agenda of the meeting is expected to cover various topics including regional security, economy, food security, climate change, and the situation in Afghanistan.
Addressing the summit, PM Modi said, "We do not see the SCO as an extended neighbourhood, but rather as an extended family. Security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environmental protection are the pillars of our vision for SCO."
He added that SCO has emerged as key platform for peace, prosperity, development of Eurasia.
He also expressed happiness over Iran joining SCO as a new member.
SCO should not hesitate to condemn countries that support terrorism, the Prime Minister said, as Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Sharif listened.
"Terrorism is a threat to regional and global peace. We will have to fight against terrorism...Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies and give shelter to terrorists. SCO should not hesitate to criticize such countries. SCO countries should condemn it. There should be no double standards on terrorism."
"India has established five pillars of cooperation within the SCO: Startup and innovation, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, digital inclusion, and shared Buddhist heritage. Over the past two decades, the SCO has emerged as an important platform for peace, prosperity and development in the entire Eurasia region. India's thousands of years old cultural and people-to-people ties with this region are living testimony to our shared heritage," the Prime Minister said.
