At SCO Summit 2021, a message from Modi on Afghanistan

The annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit was held on Friday, September 17, in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, which Prime Minister Modi virtually addressed. The SCO Summit 2021, comprising Central Asian countries and Russia, focused on the situation in Afghanistan.

Some of the key takeaways from PM Modi’s speech, which was centred on radicalisation and extremism, are:

United Central Asia: The biggest challenge that the SCO currently faces is a peace, security and trust deficit due to radicalisation and extremism. Central Asia is crucial here because it holds modern and progressive values at its core, and can unite together to propagate such ideas in Afghanistan.

Innovative youth: Trust should be placed in the youth. They should be encouraged to pursue science and technology, and efforts should be made to boost their innovative spirit.

Building connections: The twin challenges of extremism and radicalisation have kept Central Asia from realising its true potential. Countries in this region should work on building connections with each other to combat these ailments.

Develop networks, establish norms: India is ready to build connections with Central Asia to increase trade exponentially, but this cannot be a one-way street. Countries need mutual counsel to develop networks and respect territorial integrity. To do so, norms need to be established by nations.

THE O: To help battle radicalisation and extremism in Afghanistan, a well-connected Central Asia is necessary.