Jaishankar blasts Pak repeated bids to bring bilateral issues into SCO

EAM Dr S Jaishankar slammed Pakistan for violating SCO's well-established principles and norms by bringing up the bilateral issues.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Thursday, Nov 25, made a veiled attack on Pakistan, saying repeated attempts of deliberately bringing bilateral issues into Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) deliberations ought to be 'condemned'.

"India considers the SCO as an important regional group to promote cooperation in various fields based on universally recognized international norms, good governance, Rule of law, openness, transparency and equality. It is unfortunate to note that there have been repeated attempts to deliberately bring bilateral issues into SCO," he said at the 20th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government.

Dr Jaishankar said such efforts only violate the well-established principles and norms of the SCO Charter. "Such acts are counterproductive to the spirit of consensus and cooperation that defines this organization and should be condemned," he said.

The Minister said this meeting was taking place as SCO celebrates its 20th anniversary in a rapidly changing global and regional environment. 

"India remains committed to contributing constructively to the implementation of the mandate of SCO," he said.

"The recent meeting of COP 26 in Glasgow has sharpened the realization that for many developing countries, climate change remains the biggest existential threat. Fighting climate change calls for resources, innovation, cooperation and lifestyle modifications ….. we must simultaneously pay heed to the climate change impact of our joint activities," he said.

Dr Jaishankar pointed out that today the world acknowledges that India is among the few large economies that have delivered in letter and spirit in the Paris Agreement. 

"A developing country like India that is working to lift millions out of poverty has not spared any effort to fulfil its global environment obligations. In parallel, we have surged ahead in developing renewables and today India ranks 4th in the world in installed renewable energy capacity," he pointed out.

Dr Jaishankar said, "India today is an emerging economic force at the global level. Despite the economic devastation caused by COVID-19, India's agile response in fighting the pandemic and ensuring economic stability has been noteworthy." 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast a 9.5% growth in the Indian economy in 2021. India's trade performance has also been strong, growing by more than 20% this year. Despite COVID, India attracted record FDI inflows of $77 billion in 2020-21 and another $22 billion in the first three months of this year, he said.

He also said that India believes greater connectivity is an economic force multiplier that has acquired greater importance in the post-Covid era, though "any serious connectivity initiative must be consultative, transparent and participatory."

A Joint Communique of SCO Heads of Government and other decisions were adopted after the meeting.

The 20th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government was held in Nur-Sultan through video-conference under the Chairmanship of Kazakhstan.