India, other SCO members unite to condemn terrorism in Bishkek Declaration, seek global cooperation to combat issue

Bishkek: India and other members of the SCO on Friday condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and called on the international community to promote cooperation in combatting the menace. According to the Bishkek Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Heads of State Council, the member states stressed that acts of terrorism and extremism cannot be justified. Increasing challenges and security threats that are becoming cross-border in their nature like terrorism, spread of terrorist and extremist ideology including on the internet, returning foreign terrorists, proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction, the risk of an arms race among others need special attention, close coordination and constructive cooperation of the global community, it said. “The member states condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. [caption id=“attachment_6815941” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO summit in Bishkek. PIB[/caption] “They call on the international community to promote global cooperation in combatting terrorism with the central role of the UN by fully implementing corresponding UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in compliance with the UN Charter and the principles of international law without politicisation and double standards and with respect for the sovereignty and independence of all countries,” the declaration said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the SCO Summit in Bishkek. The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Other members of the grouping are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO member states also urged the global community to work towards a consensus on adopting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT). Stressing that acts of terrorism and extremism cannot be justified, they believe it is important to take comprehensive measures to intensify efforts against terrorism and its ideology, as well as to determine and eliminate the factors and conditions that promote terrorism and extremism, it said. “They note that interfering in other countries’ domestic affairs under the pretext of fighting terrorism and extremism as well as using terrorist, extremist and radical groups to achieve one’s own mercenary ends is unacceptable,” it said. The member states condemn the propaganda of the ideology of terrorism, extremism and religious intolerance, as well as manifestations of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or convictions in any form, the declaration said. It is a priority to step up the international community’s joint efforts to counter the attempts to involve young people in the activities of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups and will continue to focus on preventing the spread of religious intolerance, xenophobia and racial discrimination, it said. In response to the threat of chemical and biological terrorism, the SCO members reaffirm and emphasise the need to launch multilateral talks at the Conference on Disarmament on an international convention to combat acts of chemical and biological terrorism. They are actively and persistently countering global terrorism, separatism and extremism, transnational organised crime, illegal trade in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, as well as weapons, munitions and explosives, threats to biological and information security and illegal migration, it said. The members believe that one of the key factors of preserving and enhancing security and stability in the SCO space is a prompt settlement of the situation in Afghanistan, according to the declaration. They support the efforts of the government and people of Afghanistan aimed at restoring peace, economic development of the country, countering terrorism, extremism and drug crime, it said. The members will counter the use of information and communications technology to undermine political, economic and public security in the SCO countries, and curb propaganda of terrorism, separatism and extremism online, it said, adding that they emphasised on the need to expand international relations of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.