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Remarks by EAM at the plenary
session of Tashkent Summit of SCO
11/06/2010
Your Excellency, President Karimov, Chairman of the Summit,
Distinguished Heads of State and leaders of delegations,
Secretary General of the SCO,
Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen,
It is a great honour for me to be here in Tashkent at this august
gathering of world leaders for the Annual Meeting of the Council of
Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
India has been associated with the SCO since 2005 as an Observer. We
attach great importance to this Organization and value our
partnership with its members. Indeed, we see most SCO member
countries as belonging to our ‘extended neighbourhood’, bound to us
by strong ties of history and culture. Within the parameters of
participation open to Observers, India has demonstrated its strong
commitment to SCO, by engaging with the Organization in several
different areas and by participating actively at several of the
Ministerial meetings.
With the Presidency last year of Russia and the current Presidency
of Uzbekistan, Observer states have been given an expanded role and
India has shown its commitment to the ideals of the Organization
through constructive engagement in diverse areas. Earlier this year
in January, India participated in Moscow at an informal SCO meeting,
to prepare for the London Conference on Afghanistan. In March 2010,
our Deputy Minister for Culture led the Indian delegation to the
meeting of the SCO Culture Ministers at Sanya, China. Under the
Russian Presidency, we were invited to and we attended several of
the Ministerial meetings.
SCO has played a constructive and forward-looking role over the past
few months in the international deliberations on the future of
Afghanistan. We commend this and believe that the SCO is uniquely
fitted to provide positive contributions to the global discourse on
Afghanistan. SCO can certainly add a critical regional perspective
and play a constructive role in ensuring a peaceful and stable
Afghanistan. We in India stand committed to the social and economic
development of Afghanistan. We see Afghanistan as a hub for transit,
trade and energy, connecting Central Asia and South Asia.
The Yekaterinburg SCO declaration rightly recognized the dangers
posed by illicit drug trafficking, terrorism and transnational
organized crime. Terrorism and extremism, along with narco-trafficking,
are key challenges facing all countries of our region. India, as a
victim of terrorism, understands the threat posed by this menace to
economic and social development. Regional cooperation to counter
terrorism can play a key role in supporting action taken by
individual countries. SCO has been pro- active and has taken major
initiatives to pool the resources of its member countries for the
joint struggle against this scourge. The Regional Anti- Terrorism
Structure (RATS) under the auspices of SCO is based in this city-
Tashkent- and India is ready to cooperate fully with this important
organization for exchanging information and working out a common
strategy for combating terrorism.
Economic development and the fair distribution of the fruits of
economic growth require connectivity between our peoples. We are
ready to work with the SCO for the economic development of the
region and feel the SCO can make a valuable contribution to common
initiatives to set up viable transport links between the countries
of Central and South Asia.
India has consistently articulated its desire to play a more
constructive and meaningful role as an Observer at the SCO. We
deeply value the role of the SCO in bringing security, stability and
development to our region and stand ready to step up our engagement
to contribute more meaningfully to the SCO for the common good of
the people of our region. We believe that our historically friendly
ties with all the member States, our close political relations and
equally, our burgeoning trade and investment relations, as well as
our expertise, developed over the decades, in diverse sectors,
ranging from rural development to high technology – all equip us to
fulfill greater responsibilities in this forum.
I would like to congratulate Your Excellency, President Karimov and
the Government of Uzbekistan for the excellent arrangements made for
the Tashkent Summit and to thank you for the gracious hospitality
extended to me and my delegation. I felicitate the Uzbek Presidency
for the effective stewardship of the Organization and wish all
success to the Kazakh Presidency. I hope that the deliberations of
this Summit Meeting are fruitful and end in all round success.
Tashkent
June 11, 2010 |
