Can’t whitewash terror, India has right to defend its people: EAM to SCO

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday asserted that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) must reaffirm its founding mandate to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, warning that there can be “no justification, no looking away and no whitewashing” of terror in any form.

Addressing the SCO council of heads of government in Moscow, Jaishankar said terrorism remained the “most serious” challenge confronting the region and reminded member-states that India had the sovereign “right to defend” its people. “As India has demonstrated, we have the right to defend our people against terrorism and will exercise it,” he said, underscoring New Delhi’s long-running concerns over cross-border terrorism.

The minister, who congratulated Russia on its presidency of the council, stressed that the grouping must keep pace with global changes and adopt “fresh thinking and new collaborations” while standing firm on its core security mandate. He highlighted India’s support for reforming the SCO’s functioning as it grows more diverse, including prioritising a long-pending proposal to make English an official language of the organisation.

Jaishankar pitched for stronger cooperation against organised crime, drug trafficking and cyber threats, which he said were increasingly intertwined with terrorism networks.

On economic issues, the minister flagged an “uncertain and volatile” global situation fuelled by complex supply-and-demand side risks, calling for “de-risking and diversification” through broader trade linkages. He said India’s push for fair and transparent free-trade arrangements with several SCO nations reflected this approach.

Reaffirming India’s “civilisational” connect with SCO member-states, Jaishankar said deeper cultural and people-to-people exchanges were central to sustaining regional bonds. He highlighted recent collaborations, including the exposition of Buddhist relics abroad, and India’s willingness to extend heritage conservation expertise to Central Asia.

He also stressed the importance of humanitarian cooperation in an era marked by conflicts, climate disasters and pandemics — recalling India’s swift relief support to Afghanistan after recent earthquakes and its supply of vaccines and essential medicines during the COVID-19 crisis.

Jaishankar said India would continue contributing “positively and fully” to a reformed and modernised SCO that could meet contemporary challenges without straying from its foundational purpose.