With pledges to battle terrorism, New Delhi Declaration adopted at SCO Summit

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member nations on Tuesday adopted the New Delhi Declaration, announced India Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra after the virtual Summit hosted by India. According to Kwatra, the nations and issued two thematic joint statements – one on cooperation in countering the radicalisation leading to separatism, extremism and terrorism and the second one on cooperation in the field of digital transformation.

What is the New Delhi Declaration?

The Indian government coined the New Delhi Declaration and proposed at the SCO Summit, aiming to fight against terrorism.

The Declaration also proposes four other joint statements on de-radicalisation, sustainable lifestyle to tackle climate change, production of millets and digital transformation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin during his address at the SCO Summit underlined the need for counter-terrorism, and supported the New Delhi Declaration. "Russia supports the New Delhi declaration which gives a consolidated approach to international issues. We will continue to strengthen ties with SCO member states," he said.

During his virtual address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "some countries use cross-border terrorism and give safe haven to terrorists" – without naming any country, He also urged the SCO countries to condemn it.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif warned against the use of terrorism as a 'bat for diplomatic point-swearing', and spoke about terrorism as a 'hydra-headed monster' to be fought with 'full conviction' irrespective of its source.

Disclaimer: The original headline has been modified