Staff Reporter / New Delhi
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today called upon the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states to collectively work towards eliminating terrorism and fix accountability on those who aid or fund such activities.
Addressing the Defence Ministers of SCO member countries in New Delhi today, Mr. Singh asserted that terrorist acts or support to terrorist activities is a crime against humanity and peace cannot coexist with this menace. He also expressed concern over the radicalization of youth terming it a major security challenge and obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society. At the end of the deliberations, all the SCO member countries signed a protocol, expressing their collective will to make the region secure, peaceful and prosperous.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said, all the member nations arrived at a consensus on several areas of cooperation including dealing with terrorism, security of vulnerable populations in various countries as well as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. He stated that all member states were unanimous in their statements that terrorism, in all its forms, must be condemned and eliminated. Defence Ministers of China, Russia, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan attended the meeting.