ATTEMPTS to stymie Russia’s development through sanctions and security threats are falling.
This is what Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday at a high-profile international meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
“For a long time, at our borders, external forces were implementing a project to create from our neighboring country, Ukraine, a virtually hostile state— ‘anti-Russia’,” said President Vladimir Putin, Russian Federation.
They pumped it up with weapons for 8 years, condoned aggression against the civilian population of Donbas, and indulged in every possible way in planting neo-Nazi ideology.
And all this is in order to jeopardize the security of Russia, to hold back the development of our country.
Putin said that now, the same players have bundled on what he calls an unprecedented number of illegal, unilateral economic sanctions imposed against Russia.
He also called the sanctions a hybrid warfare that aims to weaken the country economically in addition to threatening its security.
Despite this, Putin said that the sanctions are making Russia stronger.
“I would like to emphasize that Russia confidently withstands and will continue to withstand foreign pressure, sanctions, and provocations,” President Vladimir Putin added.
In these circumstances, our nations keep developing steadily.
At the beginning of his remarks, Putin hailed the Indian chairmanship of the SCO for tackling various global issues and for implementing a solid package of documents— referring to the New Delhi Declaration— which he said will contribute to strengthening the strategic partnership among SCO members.
During the summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his opening remarks took a seemingly veiled jab at its neighbor and rival, but also fellow SCO member, Pakistan, citing cross-border terrorism as the biggest threat to regional and global peace, and called for decisive action.
Modi mentioned that,
“Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies and give shelter to terrorists. SCO should not hesitate to criticize such countries…there should be no double standards on terrorism”.
Modi warns against ‘double standards on terrorism
On the other hand, Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who had looked intently during Prime Minister Modi’s remarks, agreed with his remarks and confirmed that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, should be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms.
Sharif opted not to engage in a discussion on state-sponsored terrorism.
‘Hydra-headed monster’ of terrorism must be fought —Pakistan PM Sharif
Modi also urged SCO leaders to work for the welfare of Afghanistan and provide humanitarian assistance to the said country following the Taliban takeover.
Modi stressed that Afghan soil should not be allowed to be used to destabilize its neighborhood.
It can be noted that Pakistan supports the Taliban regime.
