Dushanbe. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called on Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members to take unified action against terrorism, including those who finance, support or provide safe havens to terrorist groups. Addressing the organisation’s Council of Heads of Government in Tajikistan’s capital, he said there could be “no justification” for terrorism and “no double standards” in confronting it.
Singh argued that terrorism’s consequences extend beyond the immediate loss of life: it disrupts investment and commerce, radicalises societies and deprives young people of opportunities. His appeal to dismantle the “entire ecosystem” supporting terrorism placed security alongside the meeting’s wider agenda of economic cooperation, trade and connectivity.
The gathering brought together senior representatives from SCO member states, including India, Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia and the Central Asian republics. Singh attended on India’s behalf at the 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government, the grouping’s forum for advancing economic and other practical cooperation.
His remarks underscored New Delhi’s longstanding position that counterterrorism should be consistent and comprehensive. He urged member states to target not only violent acts but also the networks that enable them. The message was delivered in a regional forum that includes countries with differing political priorities, making consensus on security a persistent diplomatic challenge. The official account of his address called for concerted action, but did not identify particular countries or groups.
Singh also pressed the SCO to turn agreement into practical results on economic issues. He cited geopolitical tensions, trade and supply-chain disruptions, energy and food security concerns, and technological divides as pressures on the global economy. Members, he said, should strengthen resilient supply chains, facilitate trade and investment, and use technology to support development.
India backed an action plan for the SCO’s multilateral trade and economic cooperation programme for 2026-2030. Singh said economic engagement should be inclusive and mutually beneficial, and that the organisation should focus on clearly defined needs rather than creating mechanisms that duplicate existing work. He framed the group’s effectiveness around sovereign equality, consensus and mutual respect.
Connectivity was another prominent theme. Singh highlighted the International North-South Transport Corridor and Iran’s Chabahar Port as initiatives that could link Central Asia with broader markets. He said such projects must be based on consultation and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. The emphasis reflects a wider regional debate: transport links can expand trade, but infrastructure plans also carry strategic and political significance.
On the sidelines, Singh met Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref and Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rosulzoda. In a post about his meeting with Rosulzoda, he referred to India and Tajikistan’s longstanding civilisational ties and people-to-people links. He had also met Tajik Defence Minister Emomali Sobirzoda a day earlier; their discussion covered bilateral defence cooperation, with an emphasis on capacity building and training.
The SCO’s official account said participants adopted a joint communiqué and decisions covering multilateral trade and economic cooperation and other areas of mutual interest, and approved the organisation’s 2027 budget. Uzbekistan is to take over the chairmanship of the Council of Heads of Government, with the next meeting scheduled there in 2027.
Singh’s address sought to connect the security and economic strands of the agenda: terrorism, he said, damages the conditions needed for investment and opportunity, while cooperation should deliver tangible benefits to people. Whether the members can translate those shared objectives into coordinated action will test the organisation’s ability to move beyond declarations.
