NEW DELHI, July 4. /TASS/. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries need to take decisive measures to combat terrorism and boost cooperation in the fight against the financing of terrorism, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the opening of the SCO summit on Tuesday.

"No matter what form or shape terrorism takes, we need to fight it together. Tough and decisive measures should be taken to combat this scourge," he pointed out. "We need to boost cooperation to stop the financing of terrorism," Modi stressed.

According to the Indian prime minister, "some countries use cross-border terrorism as a policy tool and provide shelter to terrorists." "The SCO should not hesitate about such standards," he noted.

Modi was confident that the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure would play an important role in addressing these issues. "We should also prevent attempts to radicalize the youth in our countries," he added.

The Indian prime minister announced that a joint statement on the fight against terrorism would be adopted at the SCO’s New Delhi summit, which is being held virtually under the current one-year chairmanship of India.

The meeting brings together the leaders of all SCO member states. As well, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia have been invited to participate as observer countries, and Turkmenistan is attending the event as a guest. In addition, the heads of the SCO Secretariat and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure are also present at the summit. Senior officials from six international and regional organizations, including the UN, ASEAN, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, have also been invited.