External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar had a tough message for Islamabad and Beijing as he spoke about how terrorism affects regional cooperation, at the SCO Summit chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday. Speaking at the Summit, Jaishankar said, "If activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism, and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges."
His remarks were seen as a criticism of attempts at cross-border terrorism and projects like China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Stressing that cooperation must adhere to the SCO Charter, Dr Jaishankar said it would promote "mutual trust, friendship, and good neighbourliness", while acting against the "three evils" of terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
Jaishankar also called for an "honest conversation" on regional trust.
Jaishankar further said that cooperation must be based on "mutual respect and sovereign equality". Without naming China directly, he said that connectivity initiatives "cannot progress if we cherry-pick global practices, especially of trade and transit," adding that unilateral projects could undermine regional cooperation.
In addition, Dr Jaishankar also highlighted global challenges such as economic disruption, climate change, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing for "reformed multilateralism" and comprehensive reforms of the United Nations Security Council to make global institutions more representative. He called for the SCO to lead these efforts.
Before departing, he thanked PM Sharif and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister for their hospitality, in a gesture noted by senior Pakistani officials.
(With inputs from PTI)