In his opening speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the group to co-operate on cross-border terrorism.
Modi added that the SCO should not hesitate to criticize countries that are “using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy.”
Modi’s remarks are perceived as a veiled swipe at rival neighbour, Pakistan. India regularly accuses Pakistan of training and arming insurgent groups, a charge Islamabad denies.
“Terrorism poses a threat to regional peace and we need to take up a joint fight,” Modi said without naming Pakistan.
While addressing the group, Modi did not mention the war in Ukraine. As he talked about regional security, Modi did not mention China, the other neighbour with whom India has long had hostile relations.
This year’s summit, hosted by India, was convened virtually. It is the newest platform for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to highlight India’s expanding stature on the world stage.
India announced in May that the summit would be held online instead of in-person like last year in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where Russian President Vladimir Putin posed for photographs and dined with other leaders.
Modi also warned of global challenges to food, fuel and fertilizer supplies. He called on SCO members to boost trade, connectivity and tech co-operation, among other things.
Trade in all three has been disrupted by Russia’s 14-month-long war in Ukraine, but SCO members have largely avoided direct mention of the war.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a security grouping founded by Russia and China to counter Western alliances from East Asia to the Indian Ocean. The group includes the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, all former Soviet republics in which Russian influence runs deep.
Pakistan and India became members in 2017. Iran is set to join on Tuesday. Belarus is also in line for membership.
SCO meeting usually focus on issues like security and economic cooperation, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, tackling climate change and the situation in Afghanistan.
Putin, Xi And Sharif To Address SCO Summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif are scheduled to address the day-long virtual summit.
This is Putin’s first multilateral summit since Wagner forces led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged an armed rebellion against Russia.
The SCO is one of the few international grouping in which the Russian President enjoys warm relations with most members.
The summit presents an opportunity for Putin to show the world that he is still important and very much at the helm of affairs.
All SCO members states, have either abstained or not voted in favour of UN sanctions against Russia.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres noted that the summit was taking place amid growing global challenges and risks.
“But at a time when the world needs to work together, divisions are growing, and geopolitical tensions are rising,” he said
“These differences have been aggravated by several factors: diverging approaches to global crises; contrasting views on nontraditional security threats; and, of course, the consequences of COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres
