BENAULIM: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari used his address to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on Friday to urge member nations to refrain from using terrorism as a diplomatic tool.
Speaking on the second day of his visit to India, the foreign minister
emphasised the importance of greater cooperation among SCO
countries in tackling terrorism, calling for joint efforts to address the
root causes of the issue.
“The collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility.
[…] Let’s not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic
point scoring,” the Foreign Office (FO) quoted Bilawal as saying.
Earlier, Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar also
addressed the SCO meeting, highlighting the issue of cross-border
terrorism.
Reports said, “While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests.
“We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and
it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including
cross-border terrorism,” Jaishankar said.
He further called for the “channel of activities for terrorist activities”
to be “seized and blocked without distinction”.
Indian media quoted the minister as saying, “Members
need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original
mandates of the SCO.”
Jaishankar noted that the unfolding situation in Afghanistan
following the Taliban’s return to power “remains at the centre of our
attention”, adding that the efforts should be directed towards the
welfare of the Afghan people.
Bilawal’s address also touched upon the SCO’s importance for
Pakistan and Islamabad’s commitment to Afghanistan.
The FO, in a Twitter thread, quoted Bilawal as saying, “There
couldn’t be a more powerful indication of the importance that
Pakistan attaches to the SCO than my presence here in Goa for this
CFM.”
Bilawal asserted the SCO could be a “key platform for taking the
vision of Eurasian connectivity to the next level”, the FO said.
He also reiterated Pakistan’s belief and adherence to the “principles
of mutual trust, equality, respect for cultural diversity, and the
pursuit of shared development enshrined in the original ‘Shanghai
Spirit’”.
The minister asserted Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism and
said it “continues to play a leading role at all international forums”.
Speaking on Afghanistan, Bilawal said, “A peaceful and stable
Afghanistan is a key not only to regional integration and economic
cooperation but also to global peace and stability.”
Citing Pakistan’s proposal to establish the Special Working Group on
Poverty Alleviation, Bilawal advocated for closer cooperation for
poverty alleviation under the SCO, the FO said.
Speaking on the occasion, the foreign minister once again highlighted
Pakistan’s role in the global discourse on climate change. He further
said, “The climate crisis poses an existential threat to humanity.”
He further highlighted the SCO’s role as an intergovernmental
organisation and said the platform had promoted “mutual
understanding, security and development through constructive and
mutually beneficial cooperation”.
Earlier today, the FO shared a group photo of the foreign ministers
attending the SCO meeting today. The SCO comprises eight member
states — Pakistan, India, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The FO also shared a photo of Jaishankar welcoming Bilawal to
today’s CFM meeting. A video shared by the ANI shows the Indian
minister welcoming Bilawal with a Namaste gesture.
Read more: Bilawal addresses SCO meeting on Day 2 of his Goa visit
