New Delhi: Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar sent out a strong message against terrorism at the meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Goa Friday, reiterating India’s belief that there could be “no justification for terrorism”.
The Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting is being attended by those of all eight member states, including Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, China’s Qin Gang and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov.
At the meeting, Jaishankar said terrorism must be stopped in all its forms, including cross-border terror.
The minister said as the world engaged in combating the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, “the menace of terrorism continued unabated”. “Taking our eyes off terrorism would be detrimental to our security interests,” Jaishankar said, adding, “The channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction.”
Before the meeting, Jaishankar had welcomed Bilawal Bhutto and posed for photographs.
Bhutto is the first senior leader of Pakistan to visit in 12 years – the last being Hina Rabbani Khar in July 2011, who met then foreign minister S.M. Krishna.
Bhutto’s visit to India to attend the SCO CFM comes amid continuing strain on ties on a host of issues, including Islamabad’s use of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
During his inaugural speech, Jaishankar also observed that the situation in Afghanistan remains at the centre of attention. “Efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people,” he said.
In the aftermath of Covid, the foreign minister said the “world was facing a multitude of challenges” which have disrupted global supply chains.
“India attaches great importance to development of multifaceted cooperation in SCO and promotes peace and stability,” he added.
Foreign ministers from the eight SCO member states are expected to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, counter-terrorism concerns, especially in Afghanistan, reforming the SCO, and the possibility of using national currencies to settle trade payments.