New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday made a strong pitch for better connectivity among the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), highlighting the need for respecting each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and countering terror, in a strong message to China.
The SCO Summit, which took place virtually for the first time under the chairmanship of Russia, was attended by the heads of all member countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“We firmly believe that for enhanced greater and deeper connectivity between the SCO countries, we need to respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Modi said in his remarks at the SCO Summit Tuesday.
He illustrated his point by talking about some of the mega infrastructure projects, such as the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Chabahar Port and the Ashgabat Agreement, to which India is a party.
PM Modi also spoke about United Nations reforms, saying India is keen to see a “reform multilateralism” that reflects today’s “global realities, discussing topics such as expectations of all stakeholders, contemporary challenges, and human welfare.”
Modi also hit out at Pakistan without naming it, and stated that “it is unfortunate that repeated attempts are being made to unnecessarily bring bilateral issues into the SCO agenda that violate the SCO Charter and Shanghai Spirit”.
“Such efforts are contrary to the spirit of consensus and cooperation that defines SCO,” Modi said. “India strongly believes in peace, security and prosperity. And we have always voiced opposition to terrorism, illegal arms smuggling, drugs and money laundering. India has been firm in its commitment to work under the SCO as per the principles laid down in the SCO Charter.”
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China: Xi calls for ‘good neighbourly relations’
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi batted for putting greater faith and trust in the World Health Organization (WHO) and “not politicise” the institution, as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Xi also said it is key to have cordial ties with neighbours, and not antagonise each other while maintaining respect for multilateralism.
“History has proven and will continue to prove that good neighbourliness will prevail over a beggar-thy-neighbour approach. Mutually beneficial cooperation will replace zero-sum game and multilateralism will win over unilateralism,” he said.
He said SCO countries should deepen their collaboration and engage with each other more meaningfully.
Xi also said in case of disputes, SCO countries should try to resolve them through political dialogue. “We need to safeguard security and stability … Security and stability are the number one preconditions for our countries’ development. We need to address all forms of challenges effectively,” he said.
Pakistan: Imran talks sanctity of borders
Pakistan PM Imran Khan, meanwhile, spoke about “sanctity of borders and people’s right for self-determination”.
He said it is key for all countries of the SCO grouping to recognise each other’s “territorial integrity”, and any unilateral change of status of disputed territories is in violation of the UN as well as SCO charters.
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