India has been described as one of the world’s three powerful nations by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
In his address at the summit, Lukashenko placed India, China and Russia among the three powerful countries in the world. He said that while SCO member states work on the basis of equality, the economic and strategic strength of these three countries cannot be overlooked.
Lukashenko also highlighted the fact that India, China and Russia are economically significant and nuclear-armed nations. Notably, the United States did not feature in his list, drawing attention during the summit.
The remarks came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders at the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek. The two-day summit was held on August 31 and September 1, with security, trade and regional conflicts among the key issues on the agenda.
India’s Strong Message on Terrorism
Counterterrorism and regional security also remained major issues at the summit. India called for stronger security cooperation among SCO members and emphasized the need to tackle terrorism and extremism.
In the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders, Prime Minister Modi stressed that countries using terrorism as a tool of state policy must be confronted. He also maintained that terrorism cannot be treated as a strategic asset.
The Indian government also highlighted several decisions taken at the summit to strengthen cooperation against security threats. Among them was the approval of rules for a universal centre aimed at addressing security challenges and threats faced by SCO member states.
The summit also saw Modi interact with both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, underscoring India’s continued engagement with major global powers while maintaining its independent foreign-policy approach.