Russia Will Stand Up Against Sanctions And Provocations: Putin at SCO summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said that his country will stand up against Western sanctions and "provocations".

Speaking at a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Putin said that the people of Russia are more united than ever. This was his first appearance at an international forum after a short-lived Wagner mutiny in June.

"Russian political circles and the whole of society clearly demonstrated their unity and elevated sense of responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland when they responded as a united front against an attempted armed mutiny," Reuters quoted him as saying.

His speech is seen as an attempt to remove any doubts about his authority on the world stage.

In a surprising turn of events, Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin rebelled against the Russian military leadership, advanced towards Moscow after seizing control of the Russian military headquarters for the southern region in Rostov-on-Don on June 24. However, the mutiny ended after Belarus brokered peace between the mercenary leader and Russia.

At the event, Putin expressed its intentions to strengthen Russia relationship with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation while also endorsing the shift towards utilizing local currencies for international trade settlements. Additionally, he cautioned about the escalating potential for conflicts and the increasing risk of a global economic crisis.

The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.

Putin also thanked the countries that extended support to Russia. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues from the (SCO) countries who have expressed support for the actions of the Russian leadership," Putin told the attending leaders.

SCO must not hesitate to criticise countries supporting terrorism: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told leaders of the SCO nations that the grouping must not hesitate to criticise countries supporting cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy and there must not be any "double standards" in combating terrorist activities.

"Terrorism is a threat to regional and global peace. We will have to fight against terrorism...Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies and give shelter to terrorists. SCO should not hesitate to criticize such countries. SCO countries should condemn it. There should be no double standards on terrorism," he said With Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin listening.

He stated that India does not see the SCO as an extended neighbourhood, but rather as an extended family. Security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environmental protection are the pillars of our vision for SCO, he stated.