Delhi, 29 April (CNI): India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh has called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to eliminate terrorism and hold those who aid it accountable. The comments were made at the defence ministers’ meeting, with Singh stating that any nation that shelters terrorists not only poses a threat to others but to itself too.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday asked the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) regional bloc to work towards eliminating terrorism and hold those who aid it accountable at the defence ministers’ meeting of the grouping, even as Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif skipped the event, officials familiar with the matter said.
As per the monitoring desk of Current News of India (CNI) while addressing his SCO counterparts, Rajnath Singh said any kind of terrorist act or support to it is a crime against humanity, and peace and prosperity cannot coexist with the menace.
“If a nation shelters terrorists, it not only poses a threat to others but to itself too,” Singh said at SCO meet.
Rajnath Singh on Thursday raised the issue of the lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh with his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu while stressing that the violation of existing agreements had eroded bilateral relations, and the development of India-China ties was based on peace and tranquillity at the borders. He also told Li that all issues at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) should be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements. India and China have been locked in a border row for almost three years.
In his opening remarks, Singh described the SCO as an “evolved and strong” regional organisation, while underlining that India views it as an important entity to promote defence cooperation among the member states.
At the end of the deliberations, the SCO countries signed a protocol, expressing their collective will to make the region secure, peaceful and prosperous. “It is our moral responsibility to start a new journey of development in the region through mutual cooperation, harmony and respect,” Singh added.(CNI)
