New Delhi: PM Modi is addressed the plenary session of the 21st SCO Summit held in Tajikistan. He said, "this year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of SCO. I welcome Iran as a new member country of the SCO. I also welcome the three new dialogue partners - Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar." What is SCO Summit? 20th anniversary of SCO is right time to think about future of SCO. The biggest challenges in this area are related to-peace, security& trust deficit, & root cause of these problems is increasing radicalisation.Recent developments in Afghanistan have made this challenge clear, he said. Fight radicalism and extremism. Growing radicalism big concern, said PM Modi. PM Modi further said that India is committed to increasing its connectivity with Central Asia. We believe that landlocked Central Asian countries can benefit immensely by connecting with India's vast market. "We must encourage our talented youngsters towards science & rational thinking. We can bring our startups & entrepreneurs together to make the innovative spirit towards making India a stakeholder in an emerging technology,"he said. The recent events in Afghanistan have made the current situation even more clear. SCO needs to take proactive steps in this regard. "India is committed to improve its connectivity with Central Asia. We believe that landlocked Central Asian countries can benefit by connecting to Indian markets. Our investment in Iran's Chabahar Port and our attempts in International North-South Corridor support this. "No attempts of connectivity can be a one-way street. To ensure this, such projects need to be consultative, transparent and participative." Addressing the SCO Summit. https://t.co/FU9WtFBWeF — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2021
