SCO summit: India invoked UN Charter in relation to Ukraine, although no mention of the joint declaration

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Despite standing next to one other as the leaders of the organisation posed for pictures, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit ended on Friday without a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The SCO summit’s Samarkand declaration, which emphasised “mutual respect for sovereignty” and “territorial integrity of States” but excluded any mention of the “UN Charter,” was approved by Delhi.

There was no reference to the “goals and objectives of the UN Charter” like there was in the SCO proclamation from Dushanbe last year.

In the seven months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, this is a change from India’s posture.

India has consistently cited the UN Charter during the past seven months in support of “respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states” in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

The present world order has been based on the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, India stated in its initial statement on February 25, one day after the invasion began. India also stated in its most recent statement on September 7 that it would “continue to highlight to all member states” that the world order should be based on international law, the UN Charter, and respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

A similar diplomatic phrase used by India was proposed in the Samarkand Declaration: “commitment to peaceful settlement of conflicts and disputes between countries via communication and consultation.”

Given the Russian military actions in Ukraine, its lack of the 2021 emphasis on the “rejection of unilateral military superiority in surrounding areas” struck out.

The Member States stress that the principles of reciprocal respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of States, equality, mutual benefit, non-interference in internal affairs, and non-use or threat of force are the foundation for the long-term growth of international relations. They also advocate respect for the right of people to freely and democratically choose their political and socioeconomic development. The Samarkand declaration declared that they “reaffirm their commitment to the peaceful resolution of differences and issues between countries via communication and consultation.”

“The Member States firmly adhere to the goals and objectives of the UN Charter and SCO Charter, the principles of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, equality, and mutual benefit, the peaceful resolution of potential disputes through dialogue and mutual consultation, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of military force or threat of military force, rejection of unilateral military action,” according to the SCO declaration from the Dushanbe virtual summit (2021).

These omissions are also conspicuous in light of China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea and toward Taiwan.

India stayed away from China’s ambitious One Belt One Road plan, exactly like last year.

While reiterating their support for China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, the republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan’s Islamic Republic, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan acknowledged the ongoing work to jointly implement the project, including efforts to link the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and OBOR. With the exception of India, all SCO members approved the paragraph.

Without a side-by-side encounter between Modi and Xi, the summit came to an end. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra responded that he did not “believe there is anything more to read into that” when asked about the meeting that did not occur.

All of the meetings that were planned and for which requests were made to us were taken into consideration, according to Kwatra.

Earlier, in his speech, Xi congratulated India on taking the SCO presidency on behalf of China. “We would support India during its presidency, together with other member states,” he declared.

It was decided to designate Varanasi as the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2022–2023 in order to further promote the rich cultural and historical heritage of the people and the tourism potential of SCO member states, according to the Samarkand proclamation.

On terrorism and Afghanistan, the declaration used language that was identical to that of the previous year.

However, it did include a proposal to compile a standard list of terrorist organisations. “The Member States will seek to develop common principles and approaches to form a unified list of terrorist, separatist, and extremist organisations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the SCO member states, in accordance with their national legislation and on the basis of consensus.”

In all of its forms and manifestations, member states “expressed grave concern over the security danger posed by terrorism, separatism, and extremism” and “strongly condemned terrorist activities around the world,” according to the statement.

Additionally, it stated that member states resolved to keep taking proactive steps to address the circumstances that “spread terrorism, cut off terrorist financing channels, suppress terrorist recruitment and cross-border movement, counter extremism, radicalise youth, spread terrorist ideology, and eliminate sleeper cells and places used as terrorist safe havens.”

The member nations noted that using terrorist, extremist, and radical groups for personal gain is not acceptable, as is interfering in a state’s internal affairs under the guise of fighting terrorism and extremism.

The member nations noted that using terrorist, extremist, and radical groups for personal gain is not acceptable, as is interfering in a state’s internal affairs under the guise of fighting terrorism and extremism.

According to the SCO member states’ proclamation, the swift resolution of the Afghan issue is one of the most crucial elements in maintaining and enhancing security and stability in the SCO region.

According to the statement, “They favour the formation of Afghanistan as an independent, neutral, unified, democratic, and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war, and drugs.

Read more: SCO Summit: India refrains from backing China’s OBOR