Jaishankar: India Refused to Sign SCO Defence Statement Without Mention of Terrorism

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi — External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Thursday revealed that India refused to endorse a joint statement at a recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting after a key reference to terrorism was excluded from the final document.

Speaking at a press interaction, Jaishankar emphasised that fighting terrorism is a core founding objective of the SCO, and omitting such a crucial element was unacceptable to India. “The SCO was formed with the objective of fighting terrorism,” he stated.

He explained that during the meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objected strongly when one member country opposed the inclusion of a reference to terrorism in the outcome document. “Rajnath Singh’s view, rightly, was that when the main purpose of the organisation is to fight terrorism, and you are not allowing a reference to that, he expressed his unwillingness to accept [the document],” Jaishankar said.

The SCO functions on the principle of consensus, and without unanimity, statements cannot be issued. “Rajnath ji clearly said that if there is no mention of terrorism in the statement, we will not sign it,” Jaishankar added.