Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing Friday’s SCO summit online said, ‘I believe that the biggest challenges in this region are related to lack of peace, security and trust. Recent events in Afghanistan have made the current situation even more clear. SCO needs to take proactive steps in this regard.
PM Modi addressed the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s annual summit meeting in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, through video conferencing. The President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahman presided.
PM Modi said that the fight against radicalization is necessary not only for regional security and confidence but also for ensuring bright future of youth.
The Prime Minister said that the SCO should develop a common roadmap to fight extremism and extremism in the Middle East.
PM Modi said that this year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of SCO. New friends are joining us and I welcome Iran as our new partner. I also welcome Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt as new dialogue partners. The expansion of the SCO reflects the growing influence of the SCO.
The Prime Minister said that, if we look at the history, we will find that the region of Central Asia has been a bastion of soft and progressive culture and values.
Modi said the SCO should work to develop stronger links between liberal, tolerant and inclusive institutions and traditions associated with Islam.
He said that India is committed to increasing its connectivity with Central Asia. We believe that landlocked Central Asian countries can greatly benefit from connecting with India’s vast market.
Our investment in Iran’s Chabahar port and our efforts in the International North-South Corridor are in its favour.
Traditions like Sufism flourished here over the centuries and spread throughout the region and the world.
Every country in the SCO, including India, has liberal, tolerant and inclusive organizations and traditions related to Islam. SCO should work to build a strong network between these organizations.
The PM said that in the last years, India has successfully taken the help of technology in its development journey. Be it UPI and Rupay cards to increase financial inclusion, or digital platforms like Aarogya-Setu and COWIN in our fight against COVID, we have voluntarily shared all these with other countries as well.
He said that we look forward to cooperation and support from all SCO countries in the calendar of activities proposed by India under the chairmanship of SCO.
We need to connect our entrepreneurs and start-ups to foster an innovative approach and mindset.
With this thinking, India had organized the SCO Start Up Forum and SCO Young Scientist Conclave earlier last year.
Modo said that any attempt at connectivity cannot be a one-way street. To ensure this, such projects need to be consultative, transparent and participatory.
