Jaishankar Talks Of SCO Tackling ‘Menace Of Terrorism’ As Pakistan Foreign Minister Looks On

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in his opening remarks at the SCO Foreign Minister said cross-border terrorism has to stop

Benaulim, Goa: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the “menace” of terrorism continues to remain a threat for countries and that cross-border terrorism has to stop as Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari looked on. In his opening remarks as the chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Jaishankar also said the financing channels of terrorists must be “seized and blocked”.

“Menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism,” Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar emphasized seizing and blocking the channel of finances for terrorist activities without any distinction in his opening.

"Members may not be reminded that combatting terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO," he said.

A few minutes before making this statement, Jaishankar greeted all the Foreign Ministers of SCO member countries, including that of Pakistan, with a ‘namaskar’.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister arrived in Goa Thursday and held bilateral meetings with his Russian, Uzbek and Tajik counterparts.

Minister Jaishankar also spoke of the current situation in Afghanistan where the Taliban government is increasingly tightening its grip over the population there even as it continued the ban on women's education.

“The unfolding situation in Afghanistan remains at the centre of our attention. Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people, our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combatting terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities,” he added.

India and Pakistan became full members of the SCO in 2017. India is currently the chair of SCO.

Last month, at the SCO Defence Ministers Meeting hosted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Pakistan’s Malik Ahmed Khan, Special Advisor to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, attended it virtually.

The current members of the SCO are: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. At the SCO Summit in July, Iran and Belarus are expected to be inducted as full members, who are currently observer countries.