Terror a hurdle to regional cooperation: Jaishankar

In a thinly veiled reference to both China and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Wednesday highlighted how terrorism was holding back regional cooperation initiatives and that connectivity initiatives must recognise territorial integrity even as he called for introspection if "good neighbourliness" is missing somewhere.

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In his address at a conclave of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended among others by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Jaishankar said, "If friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address."

The remarks came amid India's strained ties with Pakistan over cross-border terrorism and frosty relations with China over the eastern Ladakh border row.

The external affairs minister asserted that trade and connectivity initiatives must recognise territorial integrity and sovereignty and it is essential to have an "honest conversation" on lack of trust.