Islamabad, Oct 16 (IANS): Calling "terrorism, extremism and separatism" as the, "three evils," External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday at the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council that the benefits of cooperation and integration may not accrue if these issues are not addressed.

"If activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel," said Jaishankar.

Underlining the importance of peace and stability for collective growth, the minister said, "Our endeavours will progress only when our commitment to the Charter remains firm. It is axiomatic that development and growth are required. And as the Charter spelt out, this means being firm and uncompromising in countering the 'three evils'."

In a veiled message to Pakistan, Jaishankar also highlighted the importance of "good neighbourliness."

"If trust is lacking or cooperation inadequate if the friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address," he said.

Highlighting the challenges before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the EAM said, "The objective is to strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good neighbourliness. It is to develop multi-faceted cooperation, especially of a regional nature."

He said the Organization aims to be a positive force in terms of balanced growth, integration and conflict prevention. "The Charter was equally clear what the key challenges were. And these were primarily three, that the SCO was committed to combatting: one, terrorism; two, separatism; and three, extremism," he said.

Earlier, Jaishankar pointed to the difficult time in world affairs, referring to two major conflicts underway, each with its own global repercussions.

"The Covid pandemic has left many in the developing world deeply devastated. Disruptions of various kinds – ranging from extreme climate events to supply chain uncertainties and financial volatility – are impacting growth and development," he said.

He also called upon the SCO to respond to new challenges ranging from debt to slow progress in achieving SDG targets.