Terror elimination a precondition for cooperation, Jaishankar tweets after Pak boycott

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated New Delhi's stand against terrorism and highlighted India's contributions to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

New York: Elimination of terrorism in all its forms is a precondition not only for fruitful cooperation but also for the very survival of the South Asian region, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted after a SAARC meeting in New York, which Pakistan boycotted when Jaishankar was making his opening statement.

"Ours is really not just a story of missed opportunities but also of deliberate obstacles. Terrorism is among them. In our view, elimination of terrorism in all its forms is a precondition not only for fruitful cooperation but also for the very survival of our region itself," Jaishankar said on Twitter.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had boycotted Jaishankar's opening statement at the meeting of the SAARC Council of Foreign Ministers on Thursday, with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party saying that the country will not engage with India 'until and unless' it lifts the 'siege' in Kashmir.

Jaishankar reiterated New Delhi's stand against terrorism following the incident and also highlighted India's contributions to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

"The example of South Asian Satellite shows how India has been taking up the initiatives that bear prosperity to the neighbourhood. South Asian satellite was launched in 2017 with an intention to arrive at scientific solutions to address poverty in the #SAARC region," he tweeted.

"South Asian University- also an example of India building academic excellence that will have a generational impact. The 1174 students graduated contribute immensely to the development of respective member states. We're committed to giving 100% capital cost towards the construction of SAU," the EAM added.