Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation would have to make concerted efforts to counter the menace of terrorism, reported ANI. “Aatankwad manav adhikaron aur manav mulyon pe sabse bade ulanghankariyon mein se ek hai (Terrorism is one of the biggest violations of human rights and morality),” Modi said in his speech at the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
He said that it was impossible to reach a solution till all countries made concerted efforts to fight radicalisation, terrorist recruitment, training and financing. Modi called on SCO members to address the issue of climate change, said the PMO Twitter handle. He also pitched for increasing focus on connectivity between SCO member countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Modi on the sidelines of the summit and told him that the two countries should work to “appropriately” manage their differences, reported the Chinese Finance Ministry in a statement. “[China and India] should strengthen multilateral communication and consultation, and appropriately control and manage differences and sensitive issues,” Xi is believed to have said.
Xi is also believed to have said that China and India should increase trade and investment cooperation to ensure that the two countries were able to enjoy more “early stage profits” from large scale projects in infrastructure and industry. He also pitched for ‘substantive progress’ on the China-India-Bangladesh-Myanmar project which aims to increase connectivity between the four countries. The Foreign Ministry of China is yet to clarify further on these statements.
For his part, Modi thanked Xi for China’s support to India in joining the SCO, and said the two countries should respect each other’s core interests. After the meeting, Modi tweeted, “Met President Xi Jinping. We spoke about India-China relations and how to further improve ties.”
It was the first meeting between the two leaders after India boycotted the Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing last month in which 29 world leaders took part.
Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told the media later that Modi’s meeting with Xi was “cordial and positive”. “At a time of global uncertainty, India-China relations are a factor of stability,” he said. “It is important for India and China to work together. It’s understood that where India-China have differences they should not become disputes. If handled well they can become opportunities.”
Modi had on Thursday met Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, amid frosty ties between India and Pakistan, and exchanged pleasantries. In his speech at the SCO summit, Sharif congratulated India on joining the SCO and called for creating “shared spaces for all”. “We must leave a legacy of peace for future generations, not a toxic harvest of conflict and animosity. Let us create shared spaces for all,” he said.
Modi also met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan on Friday, and said on his Twitter handle that the two had discussed ways to boost India-Uzbekistan relations, including economic cooperation.
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