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Pandemic dealt a blow to SCO member states: Harsh Vardhan

The Health Minister said that the pandemic has dealt a profound blow to the SCO member states on health and economic fronts, leading to an extraordinarily high cost of the economy…reports Asian Lite News

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday addressed a meeting of the ministers of health of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries through video-conference.

“The pandemic has shown that nobody is safe until all of us are safe. This has also highlighted the need for greater collaboration between the countries on various aspects of health. Therefore, it is desirable that we continue to exchange our experiences, learnings, best practices as well as innovations to strengthen our public health systems,” Harsh Vardhan said.

The Health Minister said that the pandemic has dealt a profound blow to the SCO member states on health and economic fronts, leading to an extraordinarily high cost of the economy and at the cost of precious human lives.

“One of the areas of strategic importance in Covid-19 disease mitigation is the safeguarding of the health interests of the global community, which is possible only with well-qualified, trained and motivated healthcare professionals supported by a robust policy framework.

This is the logo for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.(wikipedia)

“India believes that besides bilateral discussions on the issue, a multilateral approach, which would create an institutional framework for mobility of health workers, is the need of the hour. For example, India is currently collaborating with Japan and discussing with the UK and other countries from the EU regarding a nursing service exchange programme,” Harsh Vardhan said.

“India has started the ‘Institute for One Health of International Standard’, which may be leveraged to have a ‘One Health International Hub’ in India, which will address the existing or potential risks which originate through the interface of animal-human systems.

“We need to conquer the adversary with collaborations and by supplementing each other’s capacities, by pooling our resources and through enhanced technical support,” he stated.

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SCO nations vow to cooperate against terrorism

The NSAs of the SCO countries discussed cooperation against religious radicalism and the risks of increasing transnational organised crime…reports Asian Lite News

During the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Dushanbe on Wednesday, National Security Advisors of member countries pledged cooperation in the joint fight against international terrorism, extremism and separatism.

The NSAs of the SCO countries discussed cooperation against religious radicalism and the risks of increasing transnational organised crime, including arms and drug trafficking, as per exclusive details of the meeting.

It was also stressed that the regional anti-terrorism structure of the SCO can play an important role in ensuring regional security and strengthening ties between member states in combating threats and challenges of the modern world.

The meeting also discussed cooperation between member states in ensuring reliable information security, the joint fight against cybercrime and the issues of biological security and food security in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting was addressed by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon. Indian NSA Ajit Doval was also one of the participants of the meeting.

Pakistani NSA Moeed Yusuf also attended this meeting. He had earlier said that there is no possibility of a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the SCO meet.

Last year in September, Ajit Doval had stormed out of the SCO’s virtual meeting of national security advisors after Pakistan showed a “fictitious” map violating the agenda of the gathering. However, in recent months, Pakistani political and army leadership seems to have toned down rhetoric against India.

Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said in April that a stable relationship between India and Pakistan is key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity.

In February, India and Pakistan agreed to strictly observe the 2003 ceasefire agreement. (ANI)

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Doval to attend SCO’s NSA meet next week

The SCO has eight member states — Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan…reports Asian Lite News.

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meet next week in Dushanbe.

Next week’s meeting will see the in-person participation of NSAs of SCO countries, including Pakistani NSA Moeed Yusuf.

There is no confirmation of Indian and Pakistani NSAs bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO meet.

Tajikistan is the chair of the grouping. It took the chairmanship at a meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council in November of 2020.

The SCO has eight member states — Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Last year in September, Ajit Doval stormed out of the SCO’s virtual meeting of national security advisors after Pakistan showed a “fictitious” map violating the agenda of the gathering.

In March, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi attended the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the “Heart of Asia” on March 30 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. No meeting between the two took place.

In recent months, Pakistani political and army leadership seems to have toned down rhetoric against India.

Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in April said a stable relationship between India and Pakistan is key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.

“We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward,” he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rests with India.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had also said India would have to take the first step for improving bilateral relations by addressing the Kashmir issue.

In February, India and Pakistan had announced that they had agreed to a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) which was followed by Indus water talks, sporting visas and other measures. (ANI)

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