Dushanbe, October 20: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has asked member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to work together to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorism, which he called one of the gravest threats to peace and development.
He was speaking at the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Tuesday.
“There can be no justification for terrorism, no double standards in addressing it, and no place for those who finance, support, or provide safe havens to terrorists,” he said. Terrorism, he added, costs innocent lives, disrupts investment and trade, radicalises societies and takes opportunities away from young people.
What the meeting adopted
Heads of delegation adopted the joint communiqué of the meeting. It includes the SCO budget for 2027, financial and administrative decisions, and the Action Plan for the Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation Programme for 2026-2030, which Singh said India supported.
He welcomed the decision taken at the SCO Summit in Bishkek to make the Universal Centre in Tashkent and the Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe permanent bodies of the organisation. How useful they prove, he said, will depend on coordination and timely work.
Singh also said new SCO mechanisms should meet clearly identified needs and avoid duplication. “A greater number of institutions does not necessarily translate into greater achievements,” he said.
Connectivity and trade
India supports projects that link markets and open up trade, Singh said, naming the International North-South Transport Corridor and Chabahar Port as routes that could connect Central Asia with wider markets. Such projects must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, he said, and those that do not will not be sustainable.
He called for simpler customs procedures, digital documentation, better logistics and digital systems that work across borders, to bring down the cost of doing business in the region. Geopolitical tensions, disruption to trade and supply chains, and worries over energy and food security meant the SCO needed to turn agreement into action, he said.
“Our success should be measured by the opportunities we create for youth, new markets we open for our entrepreneurs, technologies we make available to our farmers and small-scale business owners,” he said.
India’s own record
Singh pointed to India’s digital public infrastructure, its start-up base and its focus on women-led development. He also mentioned the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Mission LiFE and the Global Biofuel Alliance.
He invited member states to the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum, which India will host later this year. India has been a full member of the SCO since 2017.
Related: Rajnath Singh to represent India at SCO heads of government meeting in Dushanbe