Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
sushma swaraj

Bishkek, May 22: India’s external affairs minister (MEA) Sushma Swaraj, who visited Kyrgyzstan to attend the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers (SCO), on Wednesday reiterated India’s commitment fighting terrorism, and securing security and peace in war-torn Afghanistan.

In an official statement, Swaraj said, “India stands committed to any process, which can help Afghanistan emerge as a united, peaceful, secure, stable, inclusive and economically vibrant nation, with guaranteed gender and human rights. I wish to once again underscore the importance India attaches to SCO Afghanistan Contact Group and welcome an early conclusion of the draft roadmap of further actions of the Contact Group.”

Swaraj said the deadliest bombings in Sri Lanka following the wounds of the Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir were still raw in citizen’s mind which made it more determined to combat terrorism, according to The Week news reports.

During the SCO meeting, Swaraj said India is completely determined to consistently bolster cooperation within the framework of the SCO for sustainable, cooperative and comprehensive security.

The SCO is Eurasian security, economic and political alliance formed in Shanghai in 2001, by the leaders of Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Kazakhstan. In 2017, Pakistan and India joined the forum.

“Our heart goes out to our brothers and sisters of Sri Lanka, who have recently witnessed the ghastly act of terrorism. Our wounds of Pulwama attack were still raw and the news from the neighborhood has made us more determined to resolutely fight against this menace,” Swaraj said during the meeting, which was also attended by Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Swaraj said India open to ideas over how to tackle and ways for the work of RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure), which particularly deals with matters related to defense and security.

She said India remains committed to working with the SCO member nations’ economic activities and dealing with trade and economic cooperation.

Amidst the United States-China trade spat, Swaraj stated, “India subscribes to a rule-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, open and inclusive multilateral trading system, centered around the World Trade Organisation, and firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism.”

 

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