SCO Defence Summit Stalls Over Terrorism Consensus

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's defence ministers meeting in China failed to adopt a joint statement due to disagreements on addressing terrorism. India's demand to include terrorism concerns, especially after a deadly attack in Kashmir, met resistance, preventing consensus among member states.

In an expectedly tense meeting, defence ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) couldn't finalize a joint statement, primarily due to disagreements over how to address terrorism. India's insistence on including terrorism concerns in response to a recent attack in Kashmir faced opposition from an undisclosed nation, highlighting ongoing regional tensions.

The SCO, encompassing ten Eurasian nations including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran, convened the high-level defense meeting ahead of its autumn summit. The Indian foreign ministry disclosed that differences over the issue of terrorism had hindered consensus, particularly after India pointed fingers at Pakistan over the Kashmir attack.

Despite the friction, a spokesperson for China's defense ministry termed the event as having 'achieved successful results', while Pakistan and China's foreign ministries have remained reticent on India's stance. This meeting marked the first such encounter between Indian and Pakistani ministers since their May conflict.

(With inputs from agencies.)