"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," Rajnath Singh said while addressing the meeting that was joined by the defense ministers of other SCO member states, including Pakistan's Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
As the whole world is reeling from the crisis arising from the Russia-Ukraine war, Rajnath Singh expressed India's concern over the issue and supported the resolution of the issue through talks between the two nations.
He also urged the member nations to improve ties with each other within the organisation framework based on "equality, respect and mutual understanding".
India invites member countries as it takes SCO presidency next year
India's defence minister also invited all SCO member states to visit India next year when New Delhi takes over the presidency of the grouping from Uzbekistan.
The SCO comprises India, China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan. India joined the grouping in 2017, notably after sixteen years of its formation. The group's main aim is to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
"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," he added.
India reiterated its stance on Afghanistan
Rajnath Singh also highlighted the need to eliminate all forms of terrorism and asserted that Afghan territory must not be used as launch pad for terrorist activities. Moreover, he presented India's resolution to fight all forms of terrorism to bring peace and stability in the region.
Moreover, he also urged all the parties to encourage Afghanistan authorities to achieve national reconciliation through dialogue and negotiation. The authority should establish a firm political structure in the country that is equally represented by the people of Afghanistan, according to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry.
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Rajnath Singh said that the Afghan territory must not be used to intimidate or attack any country by providing safe havens and training to terrorists and supporting their activities through financial assistance.
India also expressed its willingness to help Afghanistan by providing humanitarian assistance to its people. He also underlined the importance of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions in this regard.
Throwing light upon India's historical relations with all the SCO countries, Rajnath Singh expressed his opinion that every member is a majority stakeholder in bringing peace and prosperity to 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 based on equality, respect and mutual understanding," he said.
India expressed gratitude to Russia for arresting terrorist planning attack in the country
A terrorist attack in India was thwarted with the help of Russia when its national security agents helped in arresting the terrorist planning the attack.
Utilising the SCO platform, Singh conveyed his deep appreciation and thanks to the Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu while exchanging pleasentries.
Also Read: Moscow seeks a 'sense of normal' amid Ukraine conflict
Russia's top intelligence agency said on Monday that it has detained an Islamic State terrorist from a Central Asian country who underwent special training to carry out a suicide attack against a member of India's leadership elite for the offensive comments on the Prophet.
On Ukraine, Rajnath Singh said,"India is concerned about the humanitarian crisis in and around Ukraine. We have extended our support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General, UN agencies and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide humanitarian assistance."
Taking the SCO countries' cooperation forward, Rajnath Singh also suggested a plan of hosting 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.
(With inputs from PTI)
