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Foreign Affairs expert Robinder Sachdev said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was a loud and clear message that it is time for SCO to get back to its basics of preventing terrorism, insurgency and separatism.
Sachdev's reaction came following the EAM's address on Wednesday at the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Islamabad, where he stated that cross-border terrorism, extremism and separatism are the "three evils" that hinder trade and travel as well as people-to-people relations between countries. Sachdev highlighted that SCO was set up with the objective of preventing terrorism, insurgency and separatism. "I think the loud and clear message, which the visit and speech of Jaishnkar said at SCO, that it is time to get back to the basics of SCO it is time to remember what was the objective with which SCO was set up. Which was preventing terrorism, insurgency and separatism. The core point was these three, Mr. Jaishankar has very clearly articulated that." he told ANI on Wednesday. He further emphasised that Pakistan is the "epicentre" of terrorism and warned SCO to address the issue to "stay relevant." "The core message is SCO do introspection go back to the basic. Our view which is unsaid but clearly said that Pakistan is the epicenter in this region which generates terror and uses terror. One more message for SCO organisation that if it wants to stay relevant then this is core issue which has to be addressed otherwise SCO will become like SAARC." Sachdev said. He further said that Jaishankar would've delivered the same speech even if the SCO meeting was held anywhere else other than Islamabad. "I think the minister would've delivered the same speech in anywhere in the world. This is the core need and requirement of the organisation right now. One of the members of this organisation is working in complete opposition to the objectives of the founding mandate." He mentioned that EAM Jaishankar also gave a message to China when he talked about territorial sovereignty. "It is also a message for China because Jaishankar ji talked about territorial sovereignty which is an indication for the CPEC corridor (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) which goes through our region," he said. Former diplomat Mahesh Sachdev also described Jaishankar's speech as "very significant". " It was a very significant speech, particularly in the context it was given in" Mahesh Sachdev said. "SCO took place in Islamabad, first time in nearly a decade Pakistan has hosted something like this," he added. In his address at SCO, Jaishankar termed cross-border terrorism, extremism and separatism as the "three evils" that hinder trade and people-to-people relations between countries. He took a veiled jibe at Pakistan to state that if activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are "hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel." (ANI)
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