ISLAMABAD: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on Jaffer Express on 11 March and in Khuzdar on 21 May 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded.
The member states further stated that perpetrators, organizers, and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice.
The condemnation comes in a joint communiqué issued following the two-day SCO Head of States’ meeting held in Tianjin, China.
While reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, the member states stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist, and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognize the leading role of sovereign states and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats.
The member states strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists, with the central role of the United Nations. They call for full implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolution and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in accordance with the UN Charter and the principles of international law to jointly combat all terrorist organizations. They stress the importance of adopting a comprehensive convention on international terrorism through consensus.
Emphasizing the importance of multilateral cooperation in combating terrorism and its financing, the SCO members noted the outcomes of the High-Level International Conference on Strengthening International Cooperation in Combating Terrorism and Establishing Flexible Mechanisms for Border Security - Kuwait Phase of the Dushanbe Process (Kuwait City, 4-5 November 2024).
They noted the proposal to hold the next round of the High-Level International Conference on Border Security and Management within the framework of the Dushanbe Process in 2026 in New York. The member states highly appreciate the role of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in conducting joint anti-terrorist and command-staff exercises, information and counter-propaganda operations, and other practical measures to monitor the situation in the region.
In this context, they noted the results of the joint counter-terrorism exercise “Interaction - Anti-Terror - 2024” (SUAR, PRC, 19 July 2024) and confirmed their readiness to continue joint actions aimed at strengthening the counter-terrorism activities of the SCO.
“The member states will continue to step up joint efforts to prevent the spread of radical ideologies, religious intolerance and xenophobia, aggressive nationalism, and ethnic and racial discrimination. They adopted the Programme of Cooperation of Member States in Countering Extremist Ideology in the SCO Area for 2026-2030, aimed, inter alia, at the implementation by the participating States of the SCO Convention on Countering Extremism (Astana, 9 June 2017),” the declaration added.
The member states welcomed the annual UN General Assembly resolution “Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to escalating contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.”
Reiterating their deep concern over the continuing escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the members strongly condemn the actions that have led to numerous casualties among the civilian population and a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. They stress the need to ensure an immediate, complete, and sustainable ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid, and intensified efforts to achieve peace, stability, and security for all residents of the region.
The joint communiqué noted that the only possible way to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East is through a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue.
Member states strongly condemned the military strikes by Israel and the United States of America against the Islamic Republic of Iran in June 2025. Such aggressive actions against civilian targets, including nuclear energy infrastructure, which resulted in the death of civilians, are a gross violation of the principles and norms of international law and the UN Charter, and an infringement on the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They undermine regional and international security and have serious implications for global peace and stability.
Member States reaffirmed the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), emphasising that it is binding and must be implemented in full in accordance with its provisions, and consider that any attempts to interpret it arbitrarily undermine the authority of the UN Security Council.
They called for the resumption of constructive dialogue between the parties involved and for a focus on jointly seeking solutions that would prevent further escalation of the situation.
Taking into account the views of member states, they reaffirmed the relevance of initiatives to promote cooperation in building a new type of international relations in the spirit of mutual respect, justice, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as the formation of a common vision of the idea of creating a community of shared future for mankind and developing dialogue on the idea of “One Earth. One Family. One Future.” Member States call on the international community to join the SCO Initiative “On Global Unity for a Just World, Harmony and Development.”
Member States reaffirm their determination to continue the joint fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as against the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, arms smuggling and other forms of transnational organised crime.
Reaffirming their commitment to the establishment of Afghanistan as an independent, neutral and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war and drugs, the Member States expressed their readiness to support the efforts of the international community to ensure peace and development in that country.
SCO States reiterated that the formation of an inclusive government with broad participation of representatives of all ethno-political groups of Afghan society is the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the country.
The Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan and Republic of Uzbekistan, reaffirming their support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), noted the ongoing work on the joint implementation of this project, including efforts to align the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and the BRI.
Reaffirming the importance of establishing a SCO Development Bank, the interested member states decided to establish it and intensify consultations on a range of issues related to the functioning of this financial institution.
The member states have decided to combine the statuses of “observer” and “dialogue partner” into a single status of “SCO partner”.
The member states highly appreciate the results of the People’s Republic of China’s chairmanship of the SCO in 2024-2025, which contributed to deepening mutual understanding, trust, friendship, and cooperation between the peoples of member states and strengthening the organisation’s authority.
The SCO chairmanship will pass to the Kyrgyz Republic and will be held under the slogan “25 years of the SCO: Together Towards Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity.” The next meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the SCO will be held in the Kyrgyz Republicin 2026.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025