New Delhi: Peace and prosperity cannot coexist with terrorism, and any act of terror is a crime against humanity, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said during his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Tajikistan on July 28.
“Peace and prosperity cannot coexist with terrorism. Terrorism is the most serious threat to international peace and security. Any act of terror and support to such acts, including cross-border terrorism, committed by whomsoever, wherever, and for whatever motives, is a crime against humanity. India reaffirms its resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” Singh said, reaffirming India’s resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms.
The participants included the defense ministers of China and Pakistan.
Singh said that India accords “high priority to the consolidation of trust in the security domain within SCO as well as strengthening ties with SCO partners bilaterally on the basis of equality, mutual respect and understanding”.
He said India is committed in its resolve to work within the SCO framework for helping create and maintain a peaceful, secure, and stable region.
Singh said the SCO nations together encompass nearly half the human population and it covers approximately three-fifths of the Eurasian continent in terms of geographical expanse.
“We, therefore, have collective stakes to create a safe, secure and stable region that can contribute towards progress and improvement of human development indices of our people and the generations which will follow.”
The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is an eight-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organizations.
India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.
