Rajnath Singh, the Defense Minister of India, said in Tashkent on Wednesday at the gathering of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s defense ministers that Afghanistan’s territory should not be used to “intimidate or attack” any other country.
In light of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August of last year, the Indian defense official reiterated India’s support for a “peaceful, secure, and stable” Afghanistan in his address to the defense ministers at the 24th SCO summit in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.
The territory of Afghanistan, according to Singh, must not be used to threaten or attack any country by giving terrorists sanctuary, training, and financial backing for their operations.
According to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, is a crime against humanity that requires a collective response.
Singh added that India supports an Afghanistan that is secure and peaceful, that national reconciliation must be reached by “dialogue and negotiation,” and also stated that “a broad-based, inclusive and representative political structure” should be established.
The Indian official also emphasized the need of providing Afghan people with humanitarian aid during his speech at the gathering.
The Defense Minister called for closer ties within the SCO, whose members he described as “common stakeholders in the region” as India takes over the organization’s presidency from Uzbekistan next year.
