At SCO NSAs' summit, India flags threats to global peace, Saudis to soon join grouping

By Anish Kumar | First Published Mar 29, 2023, 6:49 PM IST

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said the expansion of connectivity in the region should be consultative, transparent and participatory and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

The national security advisors of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) began their 18th meeting on Wednesday in Delhi, wherein Indian NSA Ajit Doval expressed concerns over terrorism and its financing as major threats to global peace and security.

In his opening remarks, Doval said that any act of terrorism, regardless of its motivation, is unjustifiable. He also urged the member nations to fulfil the obligations enshrined in relevant counter-terrorism cooperation protocols.

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He also highlighted the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions 1267, and 1373 and successor Resolutions for the purpose of identifying and implementing sanctions against global terrorist entities.

It is pertinent to mention here that China has been putting a technical hold on the designation of several terrorists in the past.

International North-South Transport Corridor

Talking about the connectivity, Doval said: "We stand ready to cooperate on investing in and building connectivity in the region."

He further added that the expansion of connectivity should be consultative, transparent and participatory, and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

"India is also committed to fulfilling our obligations under the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and for the inclusion of the Chabahar port within the framework of INSTC," he said.

Among the SCO member states, Pakistan and China are attending in the virtual format, while India, Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have participated in-person. The SCO is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001, but India joined it in 2017 and assumed its chair for 2023.

Saudi Arabia to become a new member

Saudi Arabia will soon become a permanent SCO member after the grouping's cabinet gave formal approval to join it as a dialogue partner. Dialogue partner is considered the first step in the organisation before granting full membership in the mid-term.

It must be noted that Iran had signed documents for full membership last year. Recently, China had mediated in breaking the truce between Saudi Arabia and Iran. It has been considered a major diplomatic breakthrough after years of mutual animosity, suspected attacks and espionage between them.

It was for the first time that Beijing had forayed into Middle East mediation. Prior to this, China had restricted itself to the economy and businesses only in the region. For decades, the region was largely dominated by the United States.

As per the reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping had invited Saudi Arabia to join the SCO during his visit to Riyadh in December last year.

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