Astana [Kazakhstan], July 04: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that terrorism in any form or manifestation cannot be justified and called on the international community to isolate and expose the countries that harbour militants, provide safe havens and condone terrorism.
“International community must isolate and expose those countries that harbour terrorists, provide safe havens and condone militancy. Cross-border terrorism requires a decisive response and militancy financing and recruitment must be resolutely countered. We should also take proactive steps to prevent the spread of radicalization among our youth. The Joint Statement issued during India’s Presidency last year on this subject underlines our shared commitment,” he said.
Stressing that climate change remains another prominent concern, PM Modi said that they are working towards achieving committed reductions in emissions, including the transition to alternate fuels, adoption of electric vehicles, and building climate-resilient infrastructure.
He said, “Another prominent concern before us today is of climate change. We are working towards achieving committed reduction in emissions, including transition to alternate fuels, adoption of electric vehicles, and building climate-resilient infrastructure. In this context, during India’s SCO presidency, a Joint Statement on emerging fuels, and a Concept Paper on de-carbonization in the transportation sector were approved.”
PM Modi noted that the SCO Summit was being held in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic impact, ongoing conflicts, rising tensions, trust deficits and an increasing number of hotspots around the world. He emphasised that these events have put significant strain on international ties and global economic growth.
He further said, “They have aggravated some of the problems that have emanated from globalization. Our gathering is aimed at finding common ground to mitigate the consequences of these developments.”
Recalling that India became a member of SCO under Kazakhstan’s Presidency in 2017, PM Modi said, “India recalls with appreciation that its admission as a Member of SCO took place during the 2017 Kazakh Presidency. Since then, we have completed one full cycle of presidencies in SCO. India hosted both the Council of Heads of Government Meeting in 2020, as well as the Council of Heads of State Meeting in 2023. The SCO occupies a prominent place in our foreign policy.”
The Prime Minister also congratulated Iran which is participating in the SCO Summit as a member and offered condolences over the demise of former Iran President Ebrahim Raisi and others in the helicopter crash. He also congratulated Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and welcomed Belarus as the new member of SCO. Jaishankar is leading the Indian delegation in Kazakhstan at the 24th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State (SCO Summit). The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The the economic and security bloc comprises India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
