Afghanistan is an unfortunate example of effect of terrorism: PM Modi at SCO summit in China
PM Modi at SCO Summit.
India, along with Pakistan, became full-time members during Astana Summit in Kazakhstan in June 2017.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the plenary session on the second day of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
"Afghanistan is an unfortunate example of the effect of terrorism. I hope the brave steps towards peace taken by President Ghani will be respected by all in the region," PM Modi said at the summit.
"Only 6% of foreign tourists in India are from SCO countries, this can easily be doubled. Increasing awareness of our shared cultures can help boost this number. We will organize an SCO food festival and a Buddhist festival in India," he added.
"We have again reached a stage where physical and digital connectivity is changing the definition of geography. Therefore, connectivity with our neighbourhood & in the SCO region is our priority," PM said.
On Saturday, PM Modi also attended bilateral meetings with several heads of states, including Chinese President Xi Jinping in Qingdao.
The bilateral meeting with the Chinese President came just over a month after the two leaders met for an informal summit in China’s Wuhan.
Modi floated the concept of SECURE: ‘S’ for security for citizens, ‘E’ for economic development, ‘C’ for connectivity in the region, ‘U’ for unity, ‘R’ for respect of sovereignty, ‘E’ for environment protection.
This is India's first participation in the summit as a full-time member of the organisation.
India, along with Pakistan, became full-time members during Astana Summit in Kazakhstan in June 2017.
PM Modi is on a two-day visit to China as part of which he will be attending the SCO summit and will hold multiple meetings with other SCO leaders.
Member-countries, including India, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, are expected to sign the Qingdao Declaration, after the deliberations.
India and China on Saturday, 9 June, signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) related to sharing of hydrological information on Brahmaputra and export on non-Basmati rice to China following the talks between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Qingdao.