India refused to approve a joint statement in a meeting of ministers of defense organizations in Shanghai (SCO) in China and, as a key reason, quoted the exclusion of fear of terrorism.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revealed on Thursday that the reference to terrorism – extremely promoted India – was omitted from the document for objections from a “one particular country” that blocked the consensus needed for adoption.
India wanted, including terrorism, but one country protested
On the press briefing, spokesman for Mea Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that India could not agree with the final statement because it could not deal with what the new Delhi considered to be a critical regional challenge – terrorism.
“India wanted concerns about terrorism that was reflected in a document that was not acceptable for one particular country, and therefore this statement could not be accepted,” Jaiswal said.
Randhir Jaiswal further explained that while a two -day meeting of ministers of defense in China was planned, the final statement passed due to lack of consensus among Member States.
Rajnath Singh calls dual standards of terrorism
During his address at the SCO meeting, the Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh strongly repeated the Indian policy of zero tolerance to terrorism and urged all 11 countries to stand up.
“The perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of punishable terrorist acts-including cross-border terrorism-must be considered responsible and put before court,” he said.
Without the direct name of Pakistan Rajnath Singh, he condemned the selective application of counter -terrorist standards and made thin veiled links to Islamic records.
“There should be no double standards about terrorism. Peace and prosperity cannot exist with terrorism,” Singh added.
India argues against the exclusion of the link to the attack of the Pahalgam
Another factor that influenced the rejection of India to sign a common statement was the exclusion of a terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which required tourists’ lives. On the other hand, the proposal of the statement allegedly included links to incidents in Pakistan – an imbalance that the new Delhi considered unacceptable.
India claimed that any trustworthy joint statement of regional security must include unambiguous convictions of all forms of terrorism, in particular incidents that directly affect Member States.
Terrorism and WMDS: growing regional concerns
Rajnath Singh has also increased the alarm over the risk that terrorist groups will gain access to mass destruction weapons (WMD), underline long -term consequences for global peace and stability.
“Peace and prosperity cannot exist with the terrorism and spread of WMD in the hands of non -state actors and terrorist groups,” Singh warned.
“The solution of these challenges requires decisive measures and we must be united in our fight against these evil for our collective security and security,” he added.
India holds firmly on principles, prefers national security
Indian refusal to approve a joint statement of the SCO reflects growing assertiveness in its foreign policy-especially when it comes to the fight against terrorism. India, on the basis of its land on the SCO platform in China, indicated that national security and principle diplomacy cannot be endangered only for consensus.
Mea has confirmed that India will continue to participate in all SCO members, but will do so on the basis of “mutual respect, shared values and a common commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms”.
(Tagstotranslate) India
