Russia will stand up against sanctions and ‘provocations’: Putin at SCO Summit
India virtually hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Tuesday chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
China’s President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is also participating in the summit. It will be Putin’s first appearance at an international event since he crushed a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in late June.
Watch the event live here:
Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit virtually, Prime Minister Modi said that the “SCO has emerged as key platform for peace, prosperity, and development of Eurasia.”
PM Modi slams cross-border terrorism
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) slammed cross-border terrorism and said that the countries “need to cooperate to stop terror-financing”.
“Terrorism is a threat to regional and global peace. We will have to fight against terrorism…Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies and give shelter to terrorists. SCO should not hesitate to criticize such countries. SCO countries should condemn it. There should be no double standards on terrorism,” PM Modi said at the SCO meeting.
He also added that India’s AI-based language platform Bhashini can be shared to remove language barriers within SCO.
“We would be delighted to share India’s AI-based language platform Bhashini with everyone to remove language barriers within SCO. It can become an example of digital technology and inclusive growth. SCO can become a significant voice for reforms within the UN and other global institutions. I am delighted that Iran is joining the SCO family as a new member…,” PM Narendra Modi said at the SCO Summit.
#WATCH | At the SCO Summit, PM Narendra Modi says, “We would be delighted to share India’s AI-based language platform Bhashini with everyone to remove language barriers within SCO. It can become an example of digital technology and inclusive growth. SCO can become a significantâ€æ pic.twitter.com/Mu0pagGWCE — ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2023
The summit will also witness the participation of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan, which has been isolated globally for harbouring terrorists, is also attending the summit. One of the major highlights of the summit is that Pakistan and China have expressed their willingness to participate in the summit.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement that Jinping will deliver important remarks at the meeting and, along with other leaders, chart the course for the future growth of the organization.
SCO member nations are expected to discuss Afghanistan, terrorism, regional security, climate change and digital inclusion, among other topics.
The theme of the SCO meeting is SECURE. It stands for S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: Environmental protection, reported news agency ANI.
The summit comes barely two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was hosted by US President Joe Biden for a state visit, and the two countries called themselves “among the closest partners in the world”.
India, which holds the presidency of SCO and the G20 this year, has walked a diplomatic tightrope as relations between western nations and a Russia-China partnership have been fraught due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and Beijing’s growing assertive presence in the global geopolitical theatre.
All the SCO Member States, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, have been invited to attend the Summit. In addition, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia have been invited as Observer States. As per the SCO tradition, Turkmenistan has also been invited as the guest of the Chair. Heads of the two SCO Bodies, the Secretariat and the SCO RATS, will also be present.