Cross-border terror, blocking connectivity and obstruction of trade are the key challenges that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) must overcome to ensure lasting peace and security in the region, the minister said on Thursday. of Foreign Affairs, S Jaishankar.
Jaishankar made the remarks while addressing an informal virtual meeting of foreign ministers from the eight-member group, whose functioning has stalled due to differences between India and Pakistan.
The meeting of the foreign ministers is an annual event that takes place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York and which has been marked by tense exchanges between India and Pakistan in recent years.
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“Cross-border terrorism, blocking connectivity and obstruction of trade are three key challenges for SAARC to overcome,” Jaishankar said in a series of tweets highlighting the content of his speech.
“Only then will we see lasting peace, prosperity and security in our South Asian region,” he added.
In his speech, he said: “Over the past 35 years, Saarc has made significant progress. But our efforts toward collective collaboration and prosperity have been hampered by acts of terrorism and threats to national security.
“Such an environment prevents our common goal of realizing the full potential of our collective effort. It is therefore critical that you collectively resolve to defeat the scourge of terrorism, including the forces that nurture, support and encourage it.
“This will build the much-needed confidence to collectively build a stronger and more prosperous Saarc.”
Although he did not name any country, it was obvious that he was referring to Pakistan.
India has accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, especially in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
After India created an emergency fund for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for the Saarc states earlier this year, Pakistan requested that it be placed under the secretariat of the grouping.
Jaishankar said that he had also reaffirmed India’s commitment to its “neighborhood first” policy and to building a connected, integrated, safe and prosperous South Asia.
He also highlighted India’s Covid-19 related cooperative efforts, including a $ 10 million commitment to the emergency fund for the region, the supply of essential medicines, medical consumables, and protection and testing kits for the region, and a health video conference. professionals in the region to share information and best practices on the pandemic.
India had also launched a Covid-19 Information Sharing Platform (COINEX) to facilitate the exchange of specialized information, it helped the Saarc Disaster Management Center develop an innovative website to provide reliable information and updates on the evolution of the situation, and activated Saarc Food Banking Mechanism to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, he said.
“And where we brought our own people from afar, we had room both on the plane and in our hearts for our neighbors,” Jaishankar said.
He also noted India’s support for neighbors, such as the $ 150 million (m), $ 200 million and $ 400 million extension of currency swap support for Maldives, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, respectively.
In his speech, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke of “your country’s readiness to host the 19th SAARC Summit and the obstacles created in its way to remove them so that SAARC functions as an instrument effective regional cooperation “.
The summit was scheduled to take place in Islamabad in November 2016, but was called off after an attack on an Indian army camp in Uri in Kashmir that was attributed to Pakistan-based terrorists.
Since then, Saarc has been largely inactive.
Qureshi said Pakistan attaches great importance to Saarc and his letter, which upholds the principle of sovereign equality as the basis for meaningful regional cooperation.
He also reiterated the need for a regional approach to stop the spread of Covid-19.
In March, the Pakistani representative in a video conference of Saarc leaders on the Covid-19 situation had sparked a controversy by raising the Kashmir issue. That event had been organized at the suggestion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the time, Indian officials had said that Pakistan’s move was unjustified and an attempt to politicize a humanitarian issue.
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