Referring to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that any serious connectivity initiative must be transparent and conform to the most basic principle of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. The $500 billion BRI corridor is a matter of concern for India as the corridor passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
He made these remarks while addressing the 20th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which was held virtually. Jaishankar also said that it is unfortunate that there have been repeated attempts to deliberately bring bilateral issues into SCO which violates the well-established principles and norms of the SCO charter.
“India considers the SCO as an important regional group to promote cooperation in various fields based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency, and equality,” the external affairs minister added.
Jaishankar also said that India has been taking steps to operationalise the Chabahar port in Iran to provide secure and commercially viable access to the sea for Central Asian countries.
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"We have also proposed to include the Chabahar port in the framework of International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). I would like to reaffirm India's commitment to cooperate, plan, invest and build physical and digital connectivity in the SCO region," he said.
Jaishankar further said that the post-Covid-19 world demands changes and reforms in global institutions and development strategies to overcome the economic damage inflicted by the pandemic.
"This is the time to bring in much-needed reforms to our global institutions, including the WHO, and rework our development strategies to face a post-Covid-19 world. For this, we need a Reformed and Reinvigorated Multilateralism that reflects today's realities, which gives voice to all stakeholders, addresses contemporary challenges and puts human beings at the center of our thought and policies," he added.
The SCO has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations with eight nations including India and Pakistan, who were added as permanent members in 2017.
