India thanks Russia for foiling terrorist plot; seeks SCO unity against terror

Urging the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to fight terrorism together in all its forms, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that India supported a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan and cautioned that the Afghan territory must not be used as a launching pad for terrorist activities. 

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Rajnath, who is on a two-day visit to Uzbekistan, was speaking at the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in Tashkent. During an exchange of pleasantries with Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu on Wednesday morning, he conveyed his deep appreciation and thanks for arresting a terrorist who was planning attacks in India.

In his address to the SCO member states, Rajnath asserted that terrorism in any form, including cross-border terrorism, committed by anyone and for whatever purpose, is a crime against humanity.
 
'Terrorism is one of the most serious challenges to global peace and security. India reiterates its resolve to fight all forms of terrorism and make the region peaceful, secure and stable,' the minister said.

'We seek to develop joint institutional capabilities with the SCO member states, which, while respecting the sensitivities of each country, create the spirit of cooperation among individuals, societies and nations,' he added.

On the occasion, he proposed to host a workshop in India in 2023 on the theme 'Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief -- Risk mitigation and Disaster Resilient Infrastructure' for the Defence Ministries of SCO Member States. He also suggested an annual seminar on 'Topic of Interest' among the defence think tanks of SCO countries.

Peaceful Afghanistan 

The minister vowed India's full support to a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the need to respect its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, national unity and non-interference in internal affairs. 

Further, he asked all member states to encourage Afghanistan authorities to achieve national reconciliation through dialogue and negotiation and establish a broad-based, inclusive & representative political structure in the country.  He also cautioned that the Afghan territory must not be used to intimidate or attack any country by providing safe havens and training to terrorists and supporting their activities through financial assistance. 

India's concern about Ukraine

Expressing India's concern about the situation in Ukraine, the defence minister stated that New Delhi supports talks between Russia and Ukraine to resolve this crisis. 

'India is concerned about the humanitarian crisis in and around Ukraine. We have extended our support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General, UN agencies and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide humanitarian assistance,' he added.

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• Defence Minister
• Rajnath Singh
• SCO
• SCO Defence Ministers
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
• Tashkent