India supports talks between Russia and Ukraine: Rajnath at SCO meet

NEW DELHI:  India expressed concern on the situation in Ukraine on Wednesday and voiced support for talks between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the crisis. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “India is concerned about the humanitarian crisis in-and-around Ukraine. We have extended our support for the efforts of the UN Secretary General, UN agencies and International Committee of the Red Cross to provide humanitarian assistance.” 

It has been six months since the Russia-Ukraine crisis began on February 24. Rajnath was addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Uzbekistan. He added that SCO member states must fight together terrorism and Afghanistan should not be allowed to be used by terrorists as launching pads.

Calling terrorism “a crime against humanity,” Rajnath Singh said “it is one of the most serious challenges to global peace and security.” India reiterates its resolve to fight all forms of terrorism and make the region peaceful, secure and stable. “We seek to develop joint institutional capabilities with the SCO member states, which, while respecting the sensitivities of each country, create the spirit of cooperation among individuals, societies and nations,” he said.

In this context, the Defence Minister proposed to host a workshop in India in 2023 on the theme ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief - Risk mitigation and Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’ for the Defence Ministries of SCO Member States. He also suggested an annual seminar on ‘Topic of Interest’ among the defence think tanks of SCO countries. “We propose to organise the first such defence think-tank seminar in India in 2023,” he added.

India takes over the presidency of the Organisation from Uzbekistan. Voicing full support to a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan, Rajnath Singh emphasised to respect its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, national unity and non-interference in internal affairs. He stressed on the need to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and safeguard their fundamental rights.

“The Afghan territory must not be used to intimidate or attack any country by providing safe havens and training to terrorists and supporting their activities through financial assistance.” the Defence Minister added.