External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted India’s proactive involvement in promoting innovation, start-ups, traditional medicine, and digital public infrastructure within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) framework during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Beijing.
He emphasized that India has started a number of cooperative initiatives in various fields, demonstrating its dedication to using entrepreneurship and technology for the good of the region. Jaishankar reaffirmed that India is still receptive to new ideas that benefit all SCO members, but he emphasized that genuine collaboration must be based on the values of territorial integrity, sovereign equality, and respect for one another.
Jaishankar emphasized that increasing trade, investment, and connectivity is essential to fostering deeper regional cooperation. However, he claimed that the absence of dependable transportation routes erodes true economic cooperation and cited this as a major obstacle to economic integration among SCO nations.
The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-kilometer multimodal route that would connect India with Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe, should be promoted more quickly in this regard, he argued. Jaishankar said he was confident in the INSTC’s increasing traction and revolutionary potential for regional trade.
In his reflection on the SCO’s fundamental goals, Jaishankar restated the group’s original pledge to combat separatism, terrorism, and extremism. He pointed to the Pahalgam terror assault in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, as a calculated effort to sabotage the region’s tourism industry and sow religious division. Citing the UN Security Council’s strong condemnation and emphasizing the need to punish those responsible for terrorism accountable, he urged the SCO members to take an unyielding stand against it.
Jaishankar noted that Afghanistan continues to be a crucial problem for the SCO. He emphasized India’s continued commitment to helping the Afghan people and promoted a twin strategy that combines regional peace with ongoing humanitarian assistance.
Jaishankar concluded his statement by pointing out that multilateral forums like the SCO are in a position to have a big impact on world affairs and that the world is moving toward more multipolarity. He claimed that in order for these organizations to stay relevant and productive, they must come together behind a common, inclusive agenda that can be adjusted to meet the opportunities and difficulties of the modern world.
