External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted the necessity of authentic partnerships and the significance of peace and stability for fostering development during the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Islamabad, Pakistan. He pointed out that cross-border activities related to terrorism and extremism pose obstacles to trade, energy movement, and connectivity.
“Our endeavours will progress only when our commitment to the Charter remains firm. It is axiomatic that development and growth requires peace and stability. As the Charter spelt out, this means being firm and uncompromising in countering the ‘three evils’,” S Jaishankar said.
“If activities across borders are characterized by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel,” he added.
The minister also underscored the importance of comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council to better represent developing countries. He urged the SCO to support this initiative, advocating for a more inclusive, representative, and democratic Security Council.
First Visit by India’s Foreign Minister to Pakistan in Nine years
This marks the first visit by India’s foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years, amid ongoing tensions between the two nations over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism originating from Pakistan.
S. Jaishankar is heading the Indian delegation at the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on Wednesday.
The two-day meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, the second highest forum within the SCO, will be chaired by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif, who currently holds the council’s chairmanship.
Pakistan took on the rotating chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government for 2023-24 during the previous meeting in Bishkek on October 26, 2023, which was attended by then interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the meeting will prioritize the trade and economic agenda of the organization. Jaishankar is leading the Indian delegation at the 23rd Meeting of the SCO.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international body that was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
