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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday departed for New Delhi after concluding his visit to Tajikistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting.
Tajikistan Defence Minister Emomali Sobirzoda was present at the airport to see him off. During his visit, Singh represented India at the SCO meeting in Dushanbe, where member states discussed regional cooperation, economic development, connectivity and security challenges. Addressing the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting, Singh announced that India would host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum by the end of this year and invited all member countries to participate in the initiative aimed at strengthening cultural ties and mutual understanding. At the end of this year, India will host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum. We invite all SCO countries to participate in it, Singh said. The Defence Minister highlighted India's longstanding friendship with Tajikistan and its close ties with Central Asian countries, while reflecting on the SCO's 25-year journey and the need to strengthen cooperation for the future. India gives great importance to our long-standing friendship with Tajikistan and our bond with Central Asian countries, he said, recalling discussions at the SCO Summit in Bishkek on the organisation's achievements and future direction. On Tuesday, Singh also paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on Bukhoro Street in Dushanbe. On the sidelines of the SCO gathering, the Defence Minister met Tajikistan Prime Minister Qohir Rosulzoda and Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref. During his address, Singh stressed the need for a collective and uncompromising approach to combating terrorism, warning that it undermined peace, economic activity and opportunities for young people. Terrorism not only causes the loss of innocent lives but also disrupts investment and commerce. It radicalises society and deprives our youth of the opportunities they deserve, he said. Singh called for an end to double standards in addressing terrorism and urged SCO member states to dismantle the networks supporting terrorist activities. There should be no double standards in dealing with terrorism, and no place for those who finance, support or provide safe havens to terrorists. The entire ecosystem of terrorism must be firmly and collectively dismantled, he added. (ANI)
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