Indian External Affair Minister Jai Shankar, In Pakistan For The SCO Summit
Indian External Affairs Minister or Foreign Minister Jai Shankar visited Pakistan for the 24th annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2024 hosted by Pakistan. The International alliance consists of 10 member states and 2 observers from Eurasia. Although the meeting is to be attended by heads of state, the Indian
Prime-Minister Narendra Modi strategically sent his minister on his part, which is still a good sign for Indo-Pak strained relations, especially after the removal of Article 370 from Kashmir. The last official visit by an Indian Minister was back in 2015 by then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj. Jai Shankar also accompanied her as a member of the delegation back then.
Jai Shankar Speech In Pakistan At SCO Summit
“Terrorism in any form or manifestation cannot be justified or condoned; harboring terrorists must be strongly condemned; cross-border terrorism requires a decisive response; and terrorism finance and recruitment must be effectively countered, The SCO must never waver in its commitment. We cannot have double standards in this regard, excellencies the world is currently experiencing profound shifts driven by geopolitical tensions geo-economic forces and geo-technological advancements; they all have sweeping implications As we look ahead, there are
both immediate and systemic challenges and opportunities arising from them even as we address those, let us be clear that the world is inexorably moving towards real multipolarity In such a scenario, the SCO will only become more important, but its true value would depend on how well all of us can cooperate amongst ourselves. We have already had discussions about that within the SCO the same extends to the extended family, Speaking of challenges, terrorism would surely rank foremost for many of us The truth is that it continues to be used by Nations as a tool of destabilization We have had our own experiences with cross-border terrorism Let us be clear that terrorism in any form of manifestation cannot be justified or condoned harboring terrorists must be strongly condemned Cross-border terrorism requires a decisive response and terrorism finance and recruitment must be effectively countered The SCO must never waver in its commitment; we cannot have double standards in this regard When it comes to geoeconomics, the need of the day is to create multiple reliable and resilient
Supply chains this is an important takeaway from the covid experience made in India can add to the engines of global growth and help democratize the global economy India is open to partnering with others in capacity building, especially nations of the global South. Technology not only holds great promise in our times but is increasingly a game changer on both development and security the digital era needs more trust and transparency AI and cybersecurity raise crucial issues of their own at the same time India has shown that digital public
infrastructure and digital Financial inclusion can make such a huge difference both were discussed during our SCO presidency, but today they can also expand the scope for international cooperation, involving SEO members and partners excellencies while standing Resolute on challenges It is equally important to actively and collaboratively explore revenues progress The current Global debate is focused on creating new connectivity linkages that would better serve a rebalanced world If this is to gather momentum, it requires the joint efforts
of many, it must also be respectful of sovereignty and territorial Integrity of states and be built on the foundation of non-discriminatory trade and transit rights to neighbors for the SCO extended family We flagged the progress made on Chabahar Port recently through a long-term agreement between India and Iran; this not only holds Great Value to landlocked Central Asian States but also de-risks commerce between India and Eurasia While on the region, let me also speak about Afghanistan. We have a historical relationship between our peoples; that is the Bedrock of our ties our cooperation covers development projects humanitarian assistance capacity building and sports India remains sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the Afghan people The SCO extended family shares a commitment to reform the current International order This is only possible when those efforts extend to the United Nations and the security Council We hope that in the near future we can develop a strong consensus on the way ahead, excellencies India has contributed significantly to enhancing the economic
agenda of the SCO we have institutionalized mechanisms like the SCO startup forum and the special working group on Startup and Innovation with 130,000 startups in India including 100 unicorns our experience can be useful for others When it comes to medical and wellness tourism you may be aware that the WHO has set up a global Center for traditional medicine in Gujarat in SEO India has taken the initiative for a new SEO working group on traditional medicine enhancing education training and capacity building are key pillars of India’s cooperation
we are committed to further building on them, be it with C5 partners of Central Asia, those of the neighborhood first or the extended neighborhood excellencies, as more countries seek association with SCO as observers and dialog Partners we must strive to communicate better and deeper so that our consensus is also stronger granting English the status of a third official language will be crucial in that regard We congratulate the Kazakh side for hosting the successful Summit as visha bandhu or the friend of the world
India will always strive to deepen cooperation with all its partners. We also extend our best wishes for the success of the upcoming Chinese presidency of the SCO. This concludes the remarks of Prime Minister Modi. I thank you for your attention.”
The Response
Despite all the catchy statements made by Indian and Pakistani media, each side claiming victory and taking credit for grounding the opponent, the point of Indian External Affairs minister was diplomatically mature. He voiced his opinion on cooperation and opposition to terrorism and terrorism-related factors, the point India always raise against Pakistan. Media houses have interpreted his statements as punchlines for their respective content, which in reality sparks more hate and rivalry in public. We need to understand the betterment of diplomatic relations is not a victory for either side but for the whole region. Exact speech is quoted and it seems to be very calculated. Jai Shankar leaves on the 2nd day of the summit. Not much has been gained out of the visit as Indian delegation remained conserved but attending the conference itself in Pakistan is a good sign for the bi-lateral relations and more visits like these could definitely lead to dialogue and good relations between the two states. Both states have been positive in their approach, and the public response is also positive except for the response of media houses, trying to shape the mindset of the people negatively with a win-lose mentality; however, the public needs to understand that the TRP and content engagement-related approach adopted by media houses does not interpret the correct response, a trend that needs to change.
well phrased