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Jaishankar's Visit to Pakistan Shows India's Commitment to SCO: Ex-Envoy
Jaishankar's Visit to Pakistan Shows India's Commitment to SCO: Ex-Envoy
Sputnik India
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will represent India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday.
2024-10-15T17:43+0530
2024-10-15T17:43+0530
2024-10-15T17:45+0530
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Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar's participation in the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Islamabad — despite stained India-Pakistan ties and the "overall security situation" in Pakistan — reflects the importance India places on the 10-nation Eurasian politico-security grouping, a former Indian envoy told Sputnik India.If India was not committed to the SCO, it likely wouldn't have sent its top diplomat to the CHG meeting in Islamabad, Ashok Sajjanhar, India's former Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Sweden and Latvia, told Sputnik India, emphasising that even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi couldn't attend the Kazakhstan meeting in July due to a Parliament session, India ensured EAM Jaishankar was present.India had refused to let its engagements in the SCO be held "hostage" to its bilateral relationship with Pakistan, he highlighted adding that both the governments had already ruled out a joint meeting on the sidelines of the Summit.India held over 134 meetings and events as part of its SCO presidency last year, Sajjanhar recalled adding that the state has time and again professed its willingness to share its expertise and willingness in areas such as startups, traditional medicine and digital public infrastructure (DPI) with other Eurasian countries.The SCO, which comprises India, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, China and Pakistan, ranks as the world's biggest regional mechanism, entailing over 42% of the global population and almost 36% of the global GDP in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, Sajjanhar pointed out.Speaking about the significance of the SCO for India, the former diplomat stated that the grouping served as a crucial regional platform for enhancing cooperation in counter-terrorism, connectivity and trade as well as stabilising the Afghanistan situation.The SCO serves as an important mechanism for India to bolster ties with Central Asian countries and Iran, viewed as part of its 'extended neighbourhood' policy, he stressed.
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Jaishankar's Visit to Pakistan Shows India's Commitment to SCO: Ex-Envoy
17:43 15.10.2024 (Updated: 17:45 15.10.2024) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday. India remains actively engaged in the SCO format and its initiatives, the MEA stated.
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar's participation in the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Islamabad — despite stained India-Pakistan ties and the "overall security situation" in Pakistan — reflects the importance India places on the 10-nation Eurasian politico-security grouping, a former Indian envoy told Sputnik India.
If India was not committed to the SCO, it likely wouldn't have sent its top diplomat to the CHG meeting in Islamabad, Ashok Sajjanhar, India's former Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Sweden and Latvia, told Sputnik India, emphasising that even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi couldn't attend the Kazakhstan meeting in July due to a Parliament session, India ensured EAM Jaishankar was present.
"So, we have been maintaining our momentum of engagements with the SCO. We haven't downplayed the role of the grouping in our foreign policy calculus. India remains fully committed to the SCO," Sajjanhar stated.
India had refused to let its engagements in the SCO be held "hostage" to its
bilateral relationship with Pakistan, he highlighted adding that both the governments had already ruled out a joint meeting on the sidelines of the Summit.
"For India, these security concerns are only compounded further due to the history of India-Pakistan relations and the recent political rhetoric by Pakistani politicians. Notwithstanding these issues, EAM's presence at SCO should put all these doubts to rest," the former Ambassador stressed.
India held over 134 meetings and events as part of its SCO presidency last year, Sajjanhar recalled adding that the state has time and again professed its willingness to share its expertise and willingness in areas such as startups, traditional medicine and digital public infrastructure (DPI) with other Eurasian countries.
"There may be some strong reasons why India couldn't hold a physical summit under its presidency. But there was no let-up in the substantive content during India's SCO presidency," he suggested.
The SCO, which comprises India, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, China and Pakistan, ranks as the
world's biggest regional mechanism, entailing over 42% of the global population and almost 36% of the global GDP in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, Sajjanhar pointed out.
Speaking about the significance of the SCO for India, the former diplomat stated that the grouping served as a crucial regional platform for enhancing cooperation in counter-terrorism, connectivity and trade as well as stabilising the Afghanistan situation.
"I think India would be able to put its own views forward there. Jaishankar is expected to have interactions with his other SCO counterparts on crucial regional security issues. So, of course, the conversations at SCO will go some way in contributing to peace and security in the region," Sajjanhar said.
The SCO serves as an important mechanism for India to bolster ties with Central Asian countries and Iran, viewed as part of its 'extended neighbourhood' policy, he stressed.
"Now, with Iran also a member, the SCO would serve as a platform for bolstering connectivity cooperation, particularly as India, Iran and Russia work towards linking the Chabahar Port with the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC)," Sajjanhar concluded.
