India has made its stand clear on the issue of Afghanistan- now it is the turn of other countries- In the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, India targeted Pakistan and China without naming them. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the main objective of the SCO is to combat terrorism and extremism. In such a situation, there is a need to stop the financing of terrorism. Promising support for an Afghanistan free from terrorism, war and drugs, foreign ministers in the SCO in a joint statement on Wednesday condemned the ongoing violence and terror attacks in the country.
India presented a roadmap for Afghanistan
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said combating terrorism and extremism is the main objective of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and therefore the financing of terrorism must be stopped. On the issue of Afghanistan, S Jaishankar said that the future of Afghanistan cannot be its past. India presented a three-point roadmap for the conflict-torn country, which includes steps to ensure an end to violence and terrorist attacks, resolution of the conflict through political dialogue and neighbouring countries.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar presented the roadmap at a meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Contact Group on Afghanistan in Dushanbe amid growing global concerns over the control of Taliban fighters over large parts of the country. Jaishankar said that the Afghan people, along with other countries of the world, want a free, neutral, unified, peaceful, democratic and prosperous nation. Afghanistan’s future cannot be its past. A whole new generation has different expectations. We should not disappoint them.
Talks will be held soon amid tension on LAC
S Jaishankar and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held talks for nearly an hour over the LAC clash in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. In this meeting, amidst the confrontation on the LAC, the two countries once again agreed to start military-level talks soon. The External Affairs Minister emphasized that both sides should work towards early resolution of the remaining issues related to the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, keeping in mind the mutual interests. At the same time, bilateral agreements and protocols should be fully followed.
What is Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO
Foreign ministers of India, China, Pakistan and five other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) began a key meeting of the grouping in Dushanbe on Wednesday, focusing on the evolving situation in Afghanistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members of SCO in the year 2017. Apart from India and Pakistan, the eight-member SCO includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The SCO was established in 2001 at a summit in Shanghai by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
