Manmohan Singh seeks for cooperation at the global level to tackle issues

Yekatarinburg (Russia), June 16 (ANI): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Tuesday focused on the global economic crisis and several regional issues in India, and demanded cooperation at the global level to tackle these concerns during the plenary session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at Yekatarinburg, Russia.

"The economic gains that we have made in the past are today threatened by the global financial and economic crisis. We should convert this crisis into an opportunity for much greater economic cooperation between the Members of the SCO and India. Between us we have a vast market, a large industrial base, a talented human resource base and above all, the political will.

We should also work together to reform the institutions of global governance, including financial institutions, to bring them in tune with present and emerging economic realities," Singh said while addressing the meet.

Singh further said there is a lot to be gained through strengthening connectivity between the SCO and India.

"We would like to cooperate in finding innovative means to strengthen people-to-people contacts, exchanges of businesspersons and scholars, and trade, investment and technology flows. We would welcome closer cooperation in the fields of energy and food security, and infrastructure development," he added.

Singh also highlighted the spectre of terrorism, extremist ideologies and illicit drug trafficking which haunts India and projected how crucial it is to have cooperation with one another on a global scale to resolutely defeat these issues.

"The threats we face to our security are global in nature, and require a global response. The prevalence of poverty and under-development in large parts of the world continues to threaten global stability.

We believe that with the resources available with us, the SCO and India can mutually reinforce each other's efforts towards the economic emancipation of our region. We would be happy to share with our friends in the SCO the experiences we have gained over the years in various sectors of nation-building," he added.

Singh stuck to his concept of sustainable development and focused on how the developing world needs access to financial resources and environment friendly technologies, especially in energy, transportation, manufacturing and agriculture.

"We need technology innovations for reduction of energy use by industry and other sectors. We need massive action for afforestation, drought proofing and flood protection. We need action to protect the glaciers that feed our river systems," he said.(ANI)