At virtual SCO summit, Modi mentions five pillars of organisation's vision; condemns terrorism in any form

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (July 4) hosted the virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), where he mentioned five pillars of the SCO-s vision: security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environmental protection. The summit was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Modi said, "We do not see the SCO as an extended neighbourhood, but rather as an extended family." Modi added that over the last 20 years, SCO emerged as an important platform for peace, prosperity and development in the entire Eurasia region.

"To harness the talent of the youth from SCO countries, several new platforms such as the Young Scientist Conclave, Authors Conclave, Startup Forum, and Youth Council have been organized. These platforms aim to channel the potential of SCO's youth and provide them with meaningful opportunities," he added.

The Indian prime minister also congratulated Iran for becoming a new permanent member of the SCO.

'Terrorism a threat to regional, global peace'

During the virtual summit, Indian PM Modi condemned terrorism of any form and highlighted that terrorism is a threat to regional and global peace. "We will have to fight against terrorism...Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies and give shelter to terrorists. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such countries. SCO countries should condemn it," Modi said.

"There should be no double standards on terrorism," he added.

Modi also said that the situation in Afghanistan has had a direct impact on the security of SCO members, adding New Delhi's concerns regarding Afghanistan are the same as most of the SCO Member countries.

"We have to make united efforts for the welfare of the people of Afghanistan...It is important that the land of Afghanistan is not used to spread unrest in neighbouring nations or promote extremist ideologies," the Indian prime minister further said.

Sharif, Xi, and Putin present during summit

The virtual SCO summit was attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin among other leaders. This was Putin's first appearance at an international event since the failed weekend mutiny by the Russian mercenary group Wagner.

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