New Delhi: It was a firm message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on November 10.
“India has strong cultural and historical ties with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries. Respecting one another’s sovereignty, territorial integrity should be a basic principle while enhancing connectivity,” Modi said in presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
For his part, Xi Jinping resorted to rhetoric trying to camouflage the real communist leadership intent vis-a-vis international politics.
At one point, he even said – “Men of insight see the trend, while men of wisdom ride it” — whatever that means. Even with regard the pandemic Covid19, which could have been easily called WuhanVirus, the Chinese President was at his oratorical best.
“We should step up anti-epidemic cooperation and build a community of health for us all. Right now, COVID-19 is still presenting an ongoing threat. To fight the virus that respects no borders, we must take up the most powerful weapon of solidarity and cooperation”.
At the first virtual stage sharing between Modi and Xi Jinping since the Galwan crisis in June, Indian Prime Minister took a dig at China and said all member nations of the SCO should respect each other’s’ territorial integrity.
“Yeh ayeshak hae ki ek dusre ki samp-prabhuta aur territorial integrity ke mul sidhanto ke saath agey bara jae”.
PM Modi did not miss the opportunity to direct his tirade against Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan, and said it is ‘unfortunate’ that there are unnecessary and repeated attempts to bring bilateral issues in the SCO agenda, which is in violation of the SCO Charter.
In September, India had lambated Pakistan for abusing the SCO forum.
India had staged a walkout of a virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) NSA meet on September 15 after Pakistan projected a ‘fictitious’ map claiming Junagadh and Kashmir as part of its territory.
“Russia does not support what Pakistan has done and hopes that Pakistan’s provocative act will not affect India’s participation in the SCO….,” a key government source had told ‘Organiser’.
MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava said responding to media queries that as expected, Pakistan subsequently “went on to present a misleading view of this meeting”.
In his address on Nov 10, Prime Minister Modi stated that transition is a permanent feature in this world. He called for adequate reforms at the UN and pointed out that the world body is still plagued with certain limitations.
Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin who presided the proceedings as the chair was seen noting down the points in the most part of PM Modi’s address. He was also seen giving a patient hearing to the Prime Minister’s rotation basis 10-minutes speech.
Prime Minister Modi and President Xi of China will again be seen together at the BRICS virtual summit on November 17 and then in the G20 virtual summit on November 21.
Calling for a “reformed multilateralism” that reflects today’s global realities, Modi suggested that countries also discuss topics such as “expectations of all stakeholders, contemporary challenges, and human welfare”.
“We expect full support from SCO member nations in this endeavour,” he said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit sets the agenda and main directions for the next year.The virtual meeting on Tuesday was attended by the eight SCO members: Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
In his address, Russian President Putin said his country supports the idea of giving countries in need access to drugs and necessary goods.
“We have two registered vaccines in Russia, and the trials have already confirmed that the vaccines are safe, there are no side effects, and they are efficient. A third vaccine is in the pipeline,” he said.
“They are effective, the people who have been vaccinated and who have then had contact with people who have contracted the coronavirus have not contracted the coronavirus themselves, or they only have mild symptoms,” Sputnik News quoted Putin as saying.
Russia became the first country In August this year to register a vaccine against the coronavirus, called Sputnik V.
However, there have been some concerns over the Russian vaccine.
“We are ready for cooperation … and we propose abstaining from politicisation, being guided by the fact that people across the planet need vaccines today. We are ready to work with any country in the world,” Putin stressed.
