Rajnath Singh addresses SCO Defence Ministers' meeting, calls terrorism one of most 'serious' challenges

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday (August 24, 2022) called upon the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to unitedly fight against terrorism and eliminate the menace in all its forms. Addressing the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he 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. 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," the Ministry of Defence quoted Singh as saying in a statement.

He also 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. 

Rajnath also suggested an annual seminar on 'Topic of Interest' among the defence think tanks of SCO countries. 

"We propose to organise the first such defence think tank seminar in India in 2023," he stated.

Afghan territory must not be used as launching pads for terrorist activities

Voicing India’s full support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan, Rajnath Singh emphasised respect for its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, national unity and non-interference in internal affairs. 

He also urged all parties to encourage Afghanistan authorities to achieve national reconciliation through dialogue and negotiation and establish a broad-based, inclusive and representative political structure in the country. 

India supports a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan. I urge all parties to encourage Afghanistan authorities to achieve national reconciliation through dialogue and negotiation and establish a broad-based, inclusive and representative political structure in the country. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 24, 2022

Singh added 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. He stressed the need to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and safeguard their fundamental rights.

Russia-Ukraine war should be resolved through talks

Expressing India's concern about the situation in Ukraine, Rajnath Singh 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 said.