Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday called upon member-countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to strengthen and implement all existing international laws and mechanisms “without exceptions or double standards” to combat terrorism.
He urged them to invest and set up collaborations in India under the “Make in India” initiative.
“Terrorism continues to disrupt our societies and undermine our developmental endeavours. The only way to fight this scourge is to strengthen and implement, without exceptions or double standards, all existing international laws and mechanisms to combat terrorists and their enablers,” Mr. Singh said at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meet in Uzbekistan.
It is important for the SCO countries to come together to deal with this menace, he told the grouping that includes China and Pakistan, along with Russia and various Central Asian republics.
Mr. Singh reiterated India’s commitment to a transparent, rules-based, open, inclusive and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system with the WTO (World Trade Organization) at its centre. He emphasised that ‘unilateralism and protectionism has done good to none’
There were ample opportunities for the SCO countries to enter into collaborative joint ventures in India. “The SCO members can work together for technology and investment support to food processing and put in a supporting logistics chain,” he said.
Mr. Singh also invited the SCO member-states to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure for which India has taken the initiative “to assist countries in upgrading their capacities for developing resilient infrastructure.”
