India focusses on terror, connectivity, Afghanistan at SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet

Terror, connectivity & Afghanistan were the main focus areas for India when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj delieverd speech at the Shanghai cooperation organization Foreign Ministers meet in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Addressing the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers here in the Kyrgyz capital, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India is determined to consistently strengthen cooperation within the SCO framework for comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. 

Recalling the Sri Lanka terror attack on 21st April, EAM said, "Our heart goes out to our brothers and sisters of Sri Lanka, who have recently witnessed the ghastly act of terrorism. Our wounds of Pulwama attack were still raw and the news from the neighborhood has made us more determined to resolutely fight against this menace." 

"We are determined to consistently strengthen cooperation within the
SCO framework for comprehensive,
cooperative and sustainable security" -
EAM @SushmaSwaraj while delivering her statement at SCO Foreign Minister's Meeting in Bishkek. Full speech at https://t.co/mETyOQkDa3 pic.twitter.com/CLWN4uWXt9

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) May 22, 2019

The meeting is also attended by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Swaraj said India is open to ideas on how we can make the work of Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence, more effective. 

On connectivity, India talked about five connectivity initiatives the International North-South Transport Corridor that will connect Mumbai with Moscow, Chabahar Port that will connect India to Afghanistan & beyond, the Ashgabat Agreement for central Asia connectivity, the India Afghanistan air corridor & towards the east the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.

But New Delhi said the connectivity projects needs to be, "inclusive, sustainable, transparent and respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity", a comment that questions Chinese Belt & road initiative that is causing debt crisis in many countries participating in it.

On Afghanistan, Sushma Swaraj said, "India stands committed to any process" which can help "Afghanistan emerge as a united, peaceful, secure, stable, inclusive and economically vibrant nation, with guaranteed gender and human rights."

Comments on Afghanistan comes in the backdrop of Delhi's increased engagement with stakeholders such as the US, China, Iran and Russia on the Afghan peace process.

This is the last high-level engagement of Sushma Swaraj in a foreign country as the external affairs minister under the present government. 

This is the second SCO FMs meet in which New Delhi is participating as a full member of SCO, the first meet held in April of 2018 in Beijing. 

During the SCO FMs meet on Wednesday, Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi came face to face for the first time since the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 whose responsibility was taken by Pakistan based UN-listed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

On expected lines, no meeting happened between the 2 India Pakistan ministers.

The last time both ministers were under the same roof was during informal SAARC meet on the sidelines of United Nation General Assembly in New York in 2018.

India got full membership of the grouping along with Pakistan in 2017 during the Astana summit of SCO with the process beginning during 2015SCO summit in Russia.

The SCO FMs meet comes weeks before the SCO leaders summit in Kyrgyzstan in which the new Indian Prime Minister will be participating. Focus in that summit will be on his likely meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping or if New Indian PM would like to meet his Pakistani counterpart —Pakistani PM Imran Khan.