Minutes after he welcomed Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Goa, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar made a strong statement on the “menace of terrorism”, including cross-border terrorism.

“While the world is engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism, and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. The channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combatting terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO,” he said.

“As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical upheavals, the world is today facing a multitude of challenges. These events have disrupted global supply chains, leading to a serious impact on the supply of energy, food and fertilisers, and cascading effects on developing nations. These crises have also exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner. These challenges, however, are also an opportunity for the SCO to collaborate and address them collectively.

With more than 40 per cent of the world’s population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact,” he said.