Roving Periscope: “Seize, block terror financing channels,” Dr. Jaishankar says at the SCO meet

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: Asserting that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday called upon the member countries to seize and block channels of finances for terrorism without any distinction.

He urged the SCO’s members to focus on firmly combating terrorism and asserted that the menace must be stopped in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

In the presence of Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, China’s Qin Gang, and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, besides others, Dr. Jaishankar, while addressing the conclave of the SCO’s Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), said taking the eyes off terrorism would be detrimental to security interests of the grouping.

When the world is still combating the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated, he said, in remarks seen as directed at Pakistan.

“We firmly believe there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism,” he said.

Welcoming the delegates at the SCO-CFMs at a beach resort in Goa, where they assembled for a two-day visit, Dr. Jaishankar said: “I am delighted to host you under the first-ever Indian presidency of the SCO.”

He said India attaches great importance to the development of multilateral and multifaceted cooperation in the SCO and to the promotion of peace, stability, and closer interaction among the people of the member nations.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and geo-political upheavals, the world today is facing a multitude of challenges and these events have disrupted the global supply chains, he added.

On Afghanistan, he said, the unfolding situation in the war-torn country remains at the “center of our attention.”

“Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of Afghan people,” he said.

“Our immediate priorities in Afghanistan include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive government, combating terrorism, and preserving the rights of women, children, and minorities,” Dr. Jaishankar said.

On Thursday, the EAM, during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, conveyed to him the importance of resolving the Eastern Ladakh border row and ensuring peace and tranquillity along the frontier for the development of bilateral ties.

Dr. Jaishankar tweeted: “A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. The focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.”

Ever since the Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh in 2020, India has kept up the pressure on its recalcitrant neighbor.

Their meeting on Thursday was the second between the two foreign ministers in the last two months. China’s Qin Gang had earlier met Dr. Jaishankar in March on the sidelines of the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ conclave. India conveyed to China that the state of their bilateral relations was “abnormal” because of the lingering border row in Eastern Ladakh.

On April 27, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also told his vising Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu that China’s violation of existing border agreements “eroded” the entire basis of the ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts. Their meeting took place in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conclave of the SCO Defence Ministers.

The bilateral ties between India and China nosedived after the violent clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 which marked the most serious military conflict between the two nations in decades.

Ever since, the Indian and the Chinese troops remain locked in a standoff at a few friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, despite several rounds of military and diplomatic talks.

India has insisted that the bilateral relationship must be based on “three mutuals” — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interests.

Earlier, Dr. Jaishankar greeted his counterparts by shaking hands with them. He did not, however, shake hands with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and merely ushered him with a “Namaste.”

Before reaching Goa, Bhutto-Zardari had already announced that he would only participate in the SCO meeting and had no plans for a bilateral meeting with Dr. Jaishankar.