India seeks ‘strong condemnation’ of cross-border terror at SCO meet

Modi is scheduled to go on a four-day visit to Japan and China from August 29 to September 1. While he will travel to Japan in the first leg of his trip, he will go to Tianjin to participate in the SCO summit on August 31-Sept 1.

At a joint media briefing with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Tanmaya Lal, said India is working with other SCO members and partners to ensure “strong condemnation” of terrorism in the summit declaration.

“The SCO was established with the primary goal of countering the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism, which continue to remain a challenge,” he said. He said regional security remains a priority for the SCO members and recalled a joint statement on “countering radicalisation, extremism and terrorism” that was adopted during India’s presidency of the grouping in 2023.

“In the past, there have been strong condemnations of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in the statements that have been finalised, including the joint statement that I referred to, which was finalised during our presidency of the summit,” he said.

Responding to a question, he said: “As far as the declaration at this summit is concerned, that is under finalisation — the text. We are working with other members and partners to see that there should be a reiteration of the strong condemnation of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism. But the text is under finalisation.” To a question on whether Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is also visiting China for the summit, Misri said bilateral engagements are still being finalised.

At the SCO defence ministers’ meet in Qingdao in June, held just weeks after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, India had refused to sign a joint declaration as there was no mention of cross-border terrorism. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had urged SCO members to reject double standards and hold terror sponsors accountable. He had called for united global action against terrorism, radicalisation and extremism, citing these as the biggest threats to regional peace and trust.

Referring to the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians, Singh had said India exercised its right to self-defence through Operation Sindoor to dismantle cross-border terror infrastructure.

Besides participating in the SCO Summit on September 1, Modi is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Recently, India and China have initiated efforts to repair bilateral ties, which were strained for over four years after the clashes between their troops in Galwan in June 2020.

Meanwhile, Misri said Modi’s visit to Japan would open fresh avenues of cooperation, and reaffirm the shared commitment to peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. It will be Modi’s first standalone visit to Japan in nearly seven years. Japan is likely to announce a mega investment plan for India to be spread over the next 10 years.

The summit will give both the prime ministers the opportunity to do an in-depth review of these ties, take stock of progress in the last few years across multiple domains, and exchange views on regional and global issues, he said. Modi will also participate in a business leaders’ forum with leaders from the Japanese and Indian industry. “These interactions are aimed at deepening the very important trade, investment and technology relationship between the two countries,” Misri said.