SCO Summit 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries at a virtual summit of the bloc.
SCO members adopted the ‘New Delhi Declaration’
“As an outcome of the summit, the leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration and two thematic joint statements – one on cooperation in countering radicalization promoting separatism, extremism and terrorism, and the other on cooperation in the field of digital transformation.. .., Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said after the SCO summit.
What is ‘New Delhi Declaration’?
The “New Delhi Declaration” proposed by the Government of India at the SCO summit to fight against terrorism. It also proposed four other joint statements on de-radicalisation, sustainable lifestyle to combat climate change, production of millets and digital transformation.
Putin endorses ‘New Delhi Declaration’
Underlining the need for counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation, Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ at the SCO meeting. Putin also thanked PM Modi for organizing the summit. “I would like to thank PM Modi for organizing this summit. Implementation of many documents and decisions prepared for this summit. Russia supports New Delhi Declaration which gives a consolidated approach on international issues. We will continue to strengthen it.” relations with SCO member states.
PM Modi’s comment on China, Pakistan
In an apparent reference to Pakistan and China, PM Modi told the leaders of SCO countries that they should not hesitate to criticize countries that support cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy and should not hesitate to deal with terrorist activities. There shouldn’t be a “double standard”. ,
Chairing the summit, Modi talked about the growing importance of the SCO and said, “It is our common responsibility to understand each other’s needs and sensitivities and address all challenges through better cooperation and coordination.”
The remarks come amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China.
The virtual summit, chaired by India, was also attended by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran.
(with PTI inputs)
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