Sushma Swaraj slams Pakistan at SCO meet
Beijing, April 24: India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday slammed Pakistan for sheltering terrorists and urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to act against the countries that promote terrorism.
Without a direct reference to Pakistan, Sushma Swaraj said the world community together must "wipe-out this scourge from the face of the earth".
"There are a number of challenges that are being faced by the world today, foremost being the threat of global terrorism and the imminent need to build a strong security architecture to combat it.
"Terrorism is an enemy of the basic human rights: of life, peace and prosperity," she said at the foreign ministers meet of the SCO here.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif was also present at the meeting.
"We strongly believe that our fight against terrorism should not only seek to eliminate terrorists but should also identify and take strong measures against states that encourage, support and finance terrorism and provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups," the Indian Minister said.
"The criminal terrorist militias are not impeded by borders as they seek to destroy the architecture of international stability and build walls of fear in societies that believe in pluralism.
"Maiming and killing innocent lives indiscriminately, constitutes the most blatant violation of human rights. We have to work together to wipe-out this scourge from the face of the earth.
"In order to realise this objective, we must unite across our differences, strengthen our resolve and script an effective strategy against terror.
"We welcome the clarity shown by the SCO on terrorism from its inception," Sushma Swaraj added.
The SCO is a Eurasian intergovernmental organisation, the creation of which was announced in 2001 in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was preceded by the Shanghai Five mechanism.
India, along with Pakistan, were granted full member status at the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, in June 2017.
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Senior Trump administration official begins 5-day visit to India
New Delhi (PTI): Allison Hooker, the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, is on a five-day visit to India from Sunday to advance bilateral strategic and economic ties.
Hooker's trip to New Delhi and Bengaluru comes amid increasing strain in ties between the two countries after Washington slapped a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent levies for India's procurement of Russian crude oil.
The US embassy said Under Secretary Hooker's visit marks another step forward in advancing President Donald Trump's priorities for a strong US-India partnership and a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Hooker's December 7-11 visit is aimed at advancing the US-India strategic partnership, deepening economic and commercial ties including increasing American exports, and fostering collaboration in emerging technologies including artificial intelligence and space exploration, it said.
"While in New Delhi, Under Secretary Hooker will meet with senior Indian officials to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, and shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific, including through the foreign office consultations with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri," the embassy said.
In Bengaluru, Hooker will visit the Indian Space Research Organisation and meet leaders from India's dynamic space, energy, and technology sectors to promote innovation in US-India research partnerships and to explore opportunities for expanded cooperation, it added.
The visit by the official also comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an over 27-hour trip to New Delhi and held summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
