Elimination of terrorism in all its forms is a precondition not only for fruitful cooperation, but also for the very survival of the region itself, Jaishankar said.
Elimination
of terrorism in all its forms is a "precondition" for
fruitful cooperation in South Asia, External Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar has said, in a veiled attack on Pakistan while
emphasising that the relevance of the SAARC will be determined by
decisive actions against the scourge.
In
his statement at the informal meeting of the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Ministers on the margins
of the 74th session of the General Assembly here on Thursday,
Jaishankar said, "Ours is really not just a story of missed
opportunities but also of deliberate obstacles. Terrorism is one
among them."
Elimination
of terrorism in all its forms is a precondition not only for fruitful
cooperation, but also for the very survival of the region itself,
Jaishankar said at the meeting.
Pakistan
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi boycotted Jaishankar's opening
statement at the meeting to protest over Kashmir after India
abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special
status of Jammu and Kashmir in August. India has asserted the
abrogation of Article 370 was its "internal matter".
Jaishankar
in his statement reiterated SAARC
leaders' statement in Kathmandu in 2014, where they called for "full
and effective implementation of SAARC Regional Convention on
Suppression of Terrorism, including through enacting necessary
legislation at the national level to root out terrorism"
"The
relevance of SAARC would be determined by these actions against
terrorism and this will decide our collective journey of the future
become more productive," the minister said.
Jaishankar
said while regionalism has taken root in every corner of the world,
if the South Asian region has lagged behind it is because the region
does not have the normal trade and connectivity that other regions
do.
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