SCO summit: Modi says terrorism is major global threat

He accused 'some countries' of using cross-border terror as policy instrument in apparent dig at Pakistan

SCO leaders attend a virtual summit hosted by India on Tuesday. Reuters

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that terrorism was a major “global threat” and that some countries were using cross-border terrorism to further their goals.

Also at the summit, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said his country was withstanding tough western sanctions, more than two years into its war with Ukraine.

Mr Modi was addressing the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit, attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Fellow SCO member states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also attended the summit, while Iran, Belarus and Mongolia were invited to participate as observer states.

“Terrorism is a major threat to regional and global peace,” Mr Modi said at the virtual summit, before asking SCO members to take decisive action to meet the challenge and calling for steps to prevent the spread of radicalisation among young people.

“Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies, give shelter to terrorists. The SCO should not hesitate to criticise such countries,” he said, in an apparent dig at neighbour Pakistan, whom India has accused of arming and training rebel groups in disputed Kashmir.

New Delhi and Islamabad have a frosty relationship, mainly over Kashmir, where an armed rebellion against Indian rule has continued for more than three decades.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Vladimir Putin, virtually attended the SCO summit. Reuters

The SCO is an intergovernmental security and economy bloc formed in 2001 by Russia, China and former Soviet states in Central Asia to promote stability in the region and counter western influence from organisations such as Nato.

India assumed the rotating presidency of the eight-member group last year and will host the leaders’ summit.

Mr Modi chaired the SCO summit virtually.

Mr Putin, who made his first appearance on a multilateral platform since the Wagner mutiny last month, said that Moscow will continue to stand up against Western sanctions and "provocations”.

"Russia counters all these external sanctions, pressures and continues to develop as never before,” he said adding that the potential for conflicts and the risk of a global economic crisis were on the rise.

He also added that more than 80 per cent of trade between China and Russia was taking place in roubles and yuan, and urged other SCO members to follow the same process.

Mr Modi also announced the induction of Iran into the group, while Belarus has signed an agreement on obligations that will lead to its membership later.

Mr Modi spoke about the global crisis involving food, fertilizer and fuel, as well as challenges surrounding disputes, tensions and epidemics.

India has announced five new pillars for co-operation within the SCO, including fostering start-ups and innovation, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, digital inclusion, and shared buddhist heritage, the Prime Minister said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other heads of state such as Vladimir Putin at the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Heads of State Council Summit in Uzbekistan in 2022. EPA

“We do not see the SCO as an extended neighbourhood, but as an extended family,” Mr Modi said in his opening remarks.

“Security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environmental protection are the pillars of our vision for the SCO,” he said.

The heads of six international organisations, including the UN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Commonwealth of Independent States, were also invited to the summit.

The summit was originally planned as an in-person meeting, but was later made into a virtual one without Delhi giving a reason.

The SCO summit marks Mr Putin's first appearance on a multilateral platform since last month's attempted mutiny by Wagner mercenaries.