Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to confront countries using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and reject “double standards” to combat the menace, even as he asserted that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward to resolve global conflicts.
In the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping and many other global leaders, Modi said that “we cannot remain confined to an action-reaction approach” in the fight against terrorism, in remarks widely viewed as a direct swipe at Pakistan.
Calling for decisive action within the SCO, the Prime Minister advocated for the comprehensive dismantling of terrorist ecosystems, including funding networks, recruitment pipelines, and territorial sanctuaries.
He further affirmed that states utilising terrorism as a policy tool must be warned that terrorism can never be a “strategic asset for anyone”, adding that terrorist activities continue to pose a serious challenge to humanity.
Modi, expressing concerns over the West Asia crisis, said India has consistently called for all tensions and conflicts to be resolved not on the battlefield, but through dialogue and diplomacy.
The prime minister, in an apparent reference to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said that connectivity projects should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries as it is the fundamental spirit of the SCO Charter.
India has been critical of BRI as part of it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Bishkek Declaration adopted at the close of the summit expressed deep concern at developments in the Middle East and reiterated the SCO’s condemnation of military strikes on Iran.
The SCO member states also expressed their condolences to Iran on the death of Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
The declaration, while supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran, backed the resolution to the conflict “solely through political and diplomatic means” and welcomed all efforts aimed at de-escalation.
“Member States note that the only possible way to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East is a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian question,” the declaration said.
The declaration clearly appeared to endorse India’s position on fighting terrorism as well as its views on combating terrorism.
In his speech, Modi said terrorism continues to pose a serious challenge to humanity and noted: “In the fight against terrorism, we cannot remain confined to an action-reaction approach.”
“We must dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalisation, and safe havens. We must speak with one voice and make it clear that there can be no place for double standards on this serious issue,” he told SCO leaders.
“We must send a strong message to countries that use terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide safe haven and support to terrorists that terrorism can never be a strategic asset for anyone,” Modi added.
The SCO declaration too emphasised the “inadmissibility of attempts to exploit terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for selfish purposes” and strongly condemned all forms of terrorism.
It further emphasised that “double standards” in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and urged the world community to “combat terrorism, including the cross-border movement of terrorists”.
In his remarks, PM Modi, delving into the situation in West Asia, said it demonstrated that a conflict in one region does not remain confined to that region only as its impact is felt across the world.
“In today’s interconnected world, the scope of security has become even broader. The crisis in West Asia has demonstrated that a conflict in one region does not remain confined to that region.”
“Its impact is felt across the world, affecting energy security, maritime trade, and supply chains. The countries of the Global South bear the greatest brunt of such disruptions,” Modi said.
“Therefore, India has consistently called for all tensions and conflicts to be resolved not on the battlefield, but through dialogue and diplomacy,” he added.
The prime minister also touched upon the importance of peace and stability for a peaceful Eurasia.
“Our shared aspiration for a peaceful and secure Eurasia is also closely linked to peace and stability in Afghanistan. India has been contributing to the development and provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and will continue to do so,” he said.
Modi also underlined the importance of improving connectivity and said India supports all efforts that connect markets, facilitate trade, and open up new avenues for development.
“However, it is equally essential that such efforts respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. This is also the fundamental spirit of the SCO Charter,” he said.
“Going forward, the scope of connectivity will become even broader. Along with roads, railways, and air corridors, we must simplify customs processes, promote digital documentation, and make logistics networks more efficient,” he said.
Modi’s address was based on three pillars — security, connectivity, and
opportunity — that he had proposed for India’s vision for the SCO at the last summit of the grouping.
“The time has come to move these three pillars beyond vision and translate them into concrete outcomes. The first and foremost requirement for this is peace and security,” he said.
The prime minister said the SCO cooperation should reach people directly. “Our greatest strength is the connections between our people. For India, the SCO is a confluence of great civilisations, cultures, and ideas. Over the next twenty-five years of the SCO, people-to-people ties should remain at the heart of our cooperation,” he said.
“The true measure of our success should be how many new opportunities our efforts create for young people, how many new markets open up for our entrepreneurs, how much our farmers benefit from technology, and how much better the lives of our citizens become,” he said.
The SCO Summit took stock of progress on the 25th anniversary of the grouping and discussed ways to further its role for peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region.
Modi said the anniversary is an opportune time to lay the roadmap for the next 25 years.
Besides the Bishkek Declaration, four memorandums of understanding and more than 20 decisions and statements were adopted at the summit covering areas ranging from climate, nuclear safety and energy conservation to combating drug addiction.
The leaders signed and adopted decisions of the SCO Heads of State Council on joint initiatives on combating drug addiction and countering the spread of synthetic drugs and their precursors for the period until 2030, initiatives for conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity, and scientific cooperation programmes for 2026-2030 for creating the SCO Green Technology Corridor.
The leaders also adopted regulations on the SCO Universal Centre for Countering Security as well as an action plan for developing ports and logistics centres of SCO states for 2026-2030.
They also endorsed a move for establishing regional data centres and computing capacities and developing the artificial intelligence industry.
