Russia understands India's concerns about activities carried out on foreign soil aimed to destabilise India, a strategic affairs expert said amid New Delhi's escalating diplomatic row with Ottawa.
"Russia does share India's concerns about anti-India activities abroad, particularly in light of the latest developments between Canada and India, as such developments are a threat to India's security and sovereignty," Gujarat-based independent researcher and geopolitical analyst Niranjan Marjani told Sputnik India.
He underlined that Russia, being India's close strategic partner, apprehends its position. A stable India is in the interest of Russia and other partner countries.
Marjani's remarks came in the wake of growing tensions between India and Canada and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's address at the Shanghai Cooperation (SCO) Heads of Council meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, where he urged tightening the noose on terrorism.
SCO already has a mechanism for counter-terrorism – Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS) – and member states are already cooperating with it, the think tanker pointed out.
He explained that only last month, during a meeting of this initiative, the organisation's constituents identified three evils – terrorism, extremism, and separatism – that pose a significant challenge to not only SCO countries but also the entire South and Central Asian region.
Marjani's remarks came in the wake of growing tensions between India and Canada and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's address at the Shanghai Cooperation (SCO) Heads of Council meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, where he urged tightening the noose on terrorism.
SCO already has a mechanism for counter-terrorism – Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS) – and member states are already cooperating with it, the think tanker pointed out.
He explained that only last month, during a meeting of this initiative, the organisation's constituents identified three evils – terrorism, extremism, and separatism – that pose a significant challenge to not only SCO countries but also the entire South and Central Asian region.
"Moreover, these nations have various mechanisms to address these issues, including information sharing and threat perception analysis. However, a major component of this is that there are terror groups that are based in Afghanistan like the Islamic State* and Al-Qaeda*, and some of the SCO member states do not have ties with the Taliban**, which becomes a big impediment," Marjani underscored.
Among the nations that have established diplomatic ties with the Islamic Emirate in Kabul is China and Russia. Meanwhile, India to a certain extent has opened a dialogue with the Taliban but there is no official recognition of the regime in Afghanistan.
Besides, both the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda are a challenge to the Taliban itself and that's why it becomes essential for SCO member nations to work out a way to address these threats, the expert opined.
Nonetheless, reaching a consensus on extremism and terrorism would be a bit tricky for SCO countries, given the history between India and Pakistan, Marjani believes. For instance, Jaishankar emphasised the need to bring a halt to cross-border terrorism, without naming Pakistan, he observed.
Also, Jaishankar asserted that all forms of terrorism should be condemned by SCO countries before stressing that it has an enormous impact on economic relations between nations.
Besides, both the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda are a challenge to the Taliban itself and that's why it becomes essential for SCO member nations to work out a way to address these threats, the expert opined.
Nonetheless, reaching a consensus on extremism and terrorism would be a bit tricky for SCO countries, given the history between India and Pakistan, Marjani believes. For instance, Jaishankar emphasised the need to bring a halt to cross-border terrorism, without naming Pakistan, he observed.
Also, Jaishankar asserted that all forms of terrorism should be condemned by SCO countries before stressing that it has an enormous impact on economic relations between nations.
"There's little doubt that if terrorism surges anywhere, it affects trade relations and does not enhance investments in the region. Frosty relations between India and Pakistan have also impacted New Delhi's ties with Central Asian nations," Marjani summed up. "This is because India lacks direct connectivity to the Central Asian Republics, which means that both of them cannot benefit from the former economic rise in the global pecking order. Therefore, it is in the interest of all the countries that are members of the SCO to find a roadmap to overcome this threat and focus more on cooperation instead of conflict."
*terrorist organisations banned in Russia, India and other countries
*under UN sanctions