Expressing deep concern over developments in “the Middle East and around Iran”, SCO member-states, including India, reiterated the bloc’s condemnation of military strikes on Iranian territory that resulted in numerous civilian casualties and significant damage to Iran’s economy, said the Bishkek Declaration Tuesday.India also joined other member-states in expressing condolences over the death of former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the SCO summit in Bishkek.This was the second time that the SCO denounced the strikes on Iran after the war started on Feb 28, the first being in an early March standalone statement that called the attacks unacceptable. India had endorsed that statement too, even though bilaterally it has not explicitly condemned the attacks on Iran the way it has the missile and drone strikes on GCC countries.
India also joined other member-states in expressing condolences over the death of former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei
However, unlike the Tianjin Declaration last year that had condemned the June 2025 US and Israeli strikes on Iran, the Bishkek Declaration did not name the US and Israel. “Such actions violate the principles and norms of international law and the UN Charter and create serious risks to international peace and security,” said the declaration. India and others backed Iran’s sovereignty, advocating a resolution to the conflict solely through political and diplomatic means.They welcomed all efforts aimed at de-escalating the situation and noted that the only possible way to ensure peace and stability in the region is a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian question. PM Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the margins of the SCO summit Monday and backed expansion of ties with Tehran, while the latter sought India’s help to end the war. After distancing itself from a statement by SCO in June last year condemning Israel’s strikes, India has signed on to joint documents by the bloc censuring the US-Israel military action against Iran.The declaration reflected a major Indian concern as it strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms, emphasised that “double standards” in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable and called on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists. It called for UN playing a central role by fully implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in accordance with the UN Charter and principles of international law to jointly combat all terrorist groups.
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“Member states, reaffirming their firm commitment to combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism, emphasise the inadmissibility of attempts to exploit terrorist, separatist, and extremist groups for selfish purposes.,” said the declaration.Targeting use of economic sanctions by the West, leaders also came out in support of a fair multilateral trading system focused on the framework established by WTO, while slamming unilateral coercive measures. “Member states oppose unilateral coercive measures … that are detrimental to the interests of ensuring international security, including its food and energy, and that have a negative impact on the global economy.“
