Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: A day after sending a strong message to China on the border dispute, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday chaired a crucial meeting of the Defense Ministers of China, Russia, and other member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which deliberated on pressing regional security challenges and related issues.
The conclave, hosted by New Delhi, is also expected to review the overall situation in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, Singh told his visiting Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu that the bilateral relations between the two countries were premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders and the violation of the existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations.
It was the first meeting of the two defense ministers since the Galwan incident of 2020.
In a communique, New Delhi said that Singh categorically conveyed that the development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders.
On Friday, Singh said: “India views the SCO as an important organization to promote defense cooperation among member states. We, as a nation, wish to further strengthen the spirit of trust and cooperation among the members of the SCO,” Singh said in his opening remarks.
China’s Defense Minister General Li Shangfu, his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, Tajikistan’s Colonel-General Sherali Mirzo, Iran’s Brigadier-General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani, and Kazakhstan’s Colonel-General Ruslan Zhaksylykov are among those attending the meeting.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif was scheduled to participate in the meeting through virtual mode.
“This forum provides an opportunity for all of us to exchange our views, share our perspectives and concerns. This is an important platform where we can discuss the challenges before us, and find solutions,” Singh said.
Earlier, officials said the deliberations’ main focus would be regional security situations, including the developments in Afghanistan. Enhancing coordination among the SCO member countries to effectively combat terrorism and extremism will be another priority.
The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organizations.
It was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017.
India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.
New Delhi has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defense.