India would like to see SCO as a terror-free zone: Krishna

Asserting that regional counter-terrorism cooperation can indeed play an important role in supporting action taken by individual countries, External Affairs Minister S.M Krishna today said India would like to see the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a terror-free zone.

Addressing the 11th SCO Heads of States Summit here, Krishna said: "Terrorism and extremism show no respect for boundaries. India is only too familiar with this evil, which not just wantonly claims human lives, but threatens the social and economic progress of our societies. India would like to see the SCO zone emerge as a terror-free zone, free of safe havens and sanctuaries for terrorists and free of infrastructure of terrorism that poisons our common region."

"We see the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) as an important regional answer to the terrorism challenge. We look forward to India's greater engagement with RATS and in counter-terrorism exercises in the region," he added.

Krishna further said India is impressed that the SCO has taken several significant initiatives in recent years especially in areas including combating terrorism and in the promotion of economic cooperation in the region.

"SCO's emphasis on the need for all countries to cooperate in the fight against terrorism, extremism and narcotics is the only meaningful approach to this global menace that threatens us all equally," he added. (ANI)