Beijing | June 26, 2025 – The defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) concluded their meeting in China without adopting a joint statement, due to a lack of consensus on the inclusion of references to terrorism, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Thursday.
The SCO, a key 10-member Eurasian political and security bloc that includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran, had convened the high-level talks as a lead-up to its annual leaders' summit scheduled for the autumn. However, disagreement among member states ultimately stalled the release of a unified post-meeting communiqué.
“Certain member countries could not reach agreement on critical issues, and therefore, the joint document could not be finalised,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly media briefing. “India had specifically sought a reference to concerns on terrorism in the statement, which was not acceptable to one particular country,” he added, without naming the nation.
Indian media reports indicate that New Delhi objected to the omission of any mention of the April 22 terrorist attack on Hindu pilgrims in Indian-administered Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people. India has attributed the attack to Pakistan-based groups, while Islamabad has denied involvement, dismissing India’s retaliatory strikes on what New Delhi termed “terrorist infrastructure” as unprovoked attacks on civilian facilities.
The impasse marks a notable moment of diplomatic friction within the SCO, especially given that it was the first time senior defence officials from India and Pakistan had appeared on the same stage since their military standoff in May.
When questioned about the absence of a joint statement, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense stated only that the meeting had “achieved successful results,” without offering further detail. Neither the Chinese nor Pakistani foreign ministries provided immediate responses to India’s remarks.
The development underscores persistent geopolitical tensions within the SCO and highlights the challenges facing multilateral security cooperation in the region, particularly on the sensitive issue of counterterrorism.
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