Terror group activities key factor in Afghanistan instability: SCO | India News
2 min read
[ad_1]
NEW DELHI: Pledging support for an Afghanistan free of terrorism, war and drugs, the SCO foreign ministers on Wednesday condemned in a joint statement the ongoing violence and terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, the victims of which are civilians and government officials, and advocated an early end to them. With the US withdrawal near complete, SCO is seen is playing an increasingly important role in ensuring a stable and peaceful Afghanistan.
Touching upon India’s concerns over terrorism, the joint statement issued after the Afghanistan Contact Group meeting stated that the activity of international terrorist organizations remains one of the key factors of instability in the country.
Participating in the meeting earlier, foreign minister S Jaishankar called for efforts to ensure that neighbours are not threatened by terrorism, separatism and extremism. He also called for an end to violence and terrorist attacks against civilians and state representatives, for settling conflict through political dialogue, and for respecting interests of all ethnic groups.
With India concerned about extremism imposed from beyond Afghanistan’s borders, he said the challenge was to act seriously and sincerely because “there are forces at work with a very different agenda”. India remains concerned about the Taliban’s links with Pakistan’s ISI and India-specific terror groups like LeT and JeM.
The contact group meeting was also attended by Jaishankar’s counterparts from Pakistan, China and Russia and other member states. Significantly, reports from Beijing said on Wednesday that China had also asked Taliban in the meeting to ” make a clean break” from all terror groups, especially the al-Qaida-backed Uyghur Muslim militant group ETIM fighting for the volatile Xinjiang province’s independence. According to an agency copy, foreign minister Wang Yi stressed that further spread of the war in Afghanistan, especially an all out civil war, should be avoided and called for restarting intra-Afghan negotiations and “prevention of all kinds of terrorist forces from gaining ground in Afghanistan”.
The SCO statement expressed deep concern over the growing tension in the northern provinces of Afghanistan as a result of the sharp increase in the concentration of various terrorist, separatist and extremist groups.
“We consider it important to build up the joint efforts of the SCO member states in order to counter terrorism, separatism and extremism. We urge all parties involved in the conflict in Afghanistan to refrain from using force and actions that could lead to destabilization and unpredictable consequences in the areas of Afghanistan’s borders with the SCO member states,” it said.
The statement also reaffirmed the position of the SCO member states that there is no alternative to the settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan through political dialogue and the “implementation of an inclusive peace process by the Afghans themselves and under the leadership of the Afghans themselves”.
“We call for building up cooperation of all interested states and international organizations with the UN’s central coordinating role in order to stabilize and develop this country,” it said.
Touching upon India’s concerns over terrorism, the joint statement issued after the Afghanistan Contact Group meeting stated that the activity of international terrorist organizations remains one of the key factors of instability in the country.
Participating in the meeting earlier, foreign minister S Jaishankar called for efforts to ensure that neighbours are not threatened by terrorism, separatism and extremism. He also called for an end to violence and terrorist attacks against civilians and state representatives, for settling conflict through political dialogue, and for respecting interests of all ethnic groups.
With India concerned about extremism imposed from beyond Afghanistan’s borders, he said the challenge was to act seriously and sincerely because “there are forces at work with a very different agenda”. India remains concerned about the Taliban’s links with Pakistan’s ISI and India-specific terror groups like LeT and JeM.
The contact group meeting was also attended by Jaishankar’s counterparts from Pakistan, China and Russia and other member states. Significantly, reports from Beijing said on Wednesday that China had also asked Taliban in the meeting to ” make a clean break” from all terror groups, especially the al-Qaida-backed Uyghur Muslim militant group ETIM fighting for the volatile Xinjiang province’s independence. According to an agency copy, foreign minister Wang Yi stressed that further spread of the war in Afghanistan, especially an all out civil war, should be avoided and called for restarting intra-Afghan negotiations and “prevention of all kinds of terrorist forces from gaining ground in Afghanistan”.
The SCO statement expressed deep concern over the growing tension in the northern provinces of Afghanistan as a result of the sharp increase in the concentration of various terrorist, separatist and extremist groups.
“We consider it important to build up the joint efforts of the SCO member states in order to counter terrorism, separatism and extremism. We urge all parties involved in the conflict in Afghanistan to refrain from using force and actions that could lead to destabilization and unpredictable consequences in the areas of Afghanistan’s borders with the SCO member states,” it said.
The statement also reaffirmed the position of the SCO member states that there is no alternative to the settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan through political dialogue and the “implementation of an inclusive peace process by the Afghans themselves and under the leadership of the Afghans themselves”.
“We call for building up cooperation of all interested states and international organizations with the UN’s central coordinating role in order to stabilize and develop this country,” it said.
[ad_2]
Source
