New Delhi: Taking a jibe at China and Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday highlighted India’s policy of respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty while exhorting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to “criticise” those countries who use cross-border terrorism as a state policy.


This was the first SCO Council of Heads of State meeting that took place under the chairmanship of India, which became a member in 2017. The meeting was held in virtual format. Under India’s presidency, Iran was inducted as a new member of the grouping and the process of granting membership to Belarus was initiated. Belarus will become a full-fledged SCO member in 2024.


“Terrorism has become a major threat to regional and global peace. Dealing with this challenge requires decisive action. Regardless of its form or manifestation, we must unite in our fight against terrorism. Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies, provide shelter to terrorists,” Modi said in his opening remarks in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also attended the meeting.


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


Prime Minister Modi once again reiterated that while connectivity among SCO member countries is crucial, it has to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries even as he indirectly pointed at the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which India rejects as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.  


The references to territorial integrity and sovereignty came in the context of the SCO charter and also in terms of connectivity among the SCO member states, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra clarified during a media conference.


“Strong connectivity is crucial for the progress of any region. Better connectivity not only enhances mutual trade but also fosters mutual trust. However, in these efforts, it is essential to uphold the basic principles of the SCO charter, particularly respecting the sovereignty and regional integrity of the Member States,” Modi said, adding that the usage of Chabahar Port needs to be promoted.


READ | Iran Formally Joins SCO, PM Modi Conveys Best Wishes To President Ebrahim Raisi


Deep Divisions Visible In SCO


Deep divisions within the SCO member came out in the open when both Pakistan PM Sharif and Chinese President Xi confronted Modi. While on one hand Xi batted for BRI lauding the fact that the programme has completed a decade, Sharif said terrorism should not be used as fact for “diplomatic point-scoring”.  


“This year is the (tenth) anniversary of the One Belt One Road Initiative and we would be happy to welcome representative of the countries taking part in this initiative and we will pave the way to the happiness and prosperity of the world together,” said Xi.


Xi also called for “efforts to better synergise high-quality cooperation under the BRI with various countries’ development strategies and regional cooperation initiatives” and highlighted that the BRI would accelerate “the construction of port infrastructure and regional (and) international logistics channels”.


The Chinese President also said SCO countries should “support each other” in maintaining stability and prosperity in the region.


"We need to support each other in the name of stability and prosperity. We need to remain vigilant of the attempts by other parties to instigate a new Cold War … We must support peace in the region,” he added.


The bilateral relationship between India and China is at its lowest ebb with the militaries of both countries engaged in a bitter standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border between both countries.


In an indirect reply to Modi’s comments, Pakistan PM said that terrorism as a menace should be handled and fought collectively instead of isolating any one country.


“The SCO member states have a shared interest in ensuring peace and stability in the region, which is a precondition for economic development. The hydra-headed monster of terrorism and extremism, whether performed by individuals, or societies and states must be fought with our full might,” Sharif said.


He added, “Any temptation to use it as a cudgel for diplomatic point scoring must be eschewed. Instead of cherry picking for narrow political gains, terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms.”


Russia's Putin Talks Of 'Degradation' of International Security System


Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who spoke for the first time in a multilateral conference since the Wagner Group’s attempted coup incident, said that the international security system is facing degradation.


“For a long time, external forces have been implementing a project near our borders to create from our neighbour, Ukraine, a de facto hostile state, an “anti-Russia.” They funnelled weapons into it for eight years, condoned aggression against the peaceful population of Donbass and indulged in every way in planting neo-Nazi ideology,” said Putin.


He also said, “And all this was done in order to jeopardise Russia's security and stifle our country's development. We are now, in fact, being subjected to a hybrid war, with illegitimate anti-Russian sanctions that are unprecedented in scale.”


The Russian President boasted, “I would like to stress that Russia is confidently resisting and will continue to resist external pressure, sanctions and provocations.”


Referring to the ineffectiveness of the western sanctions, Putin said, Russia’s trade with SCO member countries increased by 37 percent, reaching a record high of $263 billion in 2022. From January to April this year, it went up by another 35 percent, he said.


He also stressed on national currencies for trade among SCO countries.


“We are making wider use of national currencies for mutual settlements. In particular, over 80 percent of commercial transactions between Russia and the People’s Republic of China are made in rubles and yuan. The share of the Russian national currency in export transactions with all the SCO countries exceeded 40 percent in 2022,” he said.


Afghanistan A Common Concern


The only issue on which the members spoke unanimously was regarding Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive government there.


Pakistan PM Sharif said the Afghanistan policy of SCO “needs an urgent reset” and called for a “balanced approach” by all.


According to Modi, “The situation in Afghanistan has directly impacted the security of all of us. India's concerns and expectations regarding Afghanistan are similar to those of most of the SCO countries. We must come together to strive for the well-being of the people of Afghanistan.”


SCO, which was founded in Shanghai in 2001, has expanded into a mega regional forum that does not have a single western country as its member. India’s association with SCO began in 2005 as an Observer country. India became a full Member State of SCO at the Astana Summit in 2017. In September 2022, India for the first time, took over the presidency of SCO from Uzbekistan at the Samarkand Summit of SCO.


Apart from China, Russia, India and Pakistan, four Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are the current members of SCO. Iran will be inducted as the ninth member and next year Belarus will become the tenth. Apart from this, the SCO has four observer countries and 14 dialogue partners.


The SCO chairmanship has now been taken over by Kazakhstan. The next summit will be held in Astana in July 2024.