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Russia to support India’s membership in Shanghai-6 |
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Russia will support Indian efforts to become a member of the six-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), initially set up for dealing with issues of regional security in Central Asia, reports Arun Mohanty from Moscow
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov extended support to the idea during his recent meeting with visiting Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes.
The Shanghai grouping was set up in 1997 and initially comprised Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, countries sharing a common border in Central Asia. It was joined by Uzbekistan last year.
Countries like India, Mongolia and Pakistan have shown keen interest to join the grouping, especially as it has set combating terrorism as one of its prime objectives.
Pakistan has already applied for membership, and India is keen to join the body but is waiting for some kind of invitation. A summit of the grouping is expected to charter and formulate SCO’s guidelines for new membership.
Meanwhile, Russia and other members of the Collective Security Treaty have said the threat of terrorism from Afghanistan remains. Countries party to the treaty — including Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan — reached this conclusion at a recent session in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan.
The session was attended by secretaries of the Security Councils of these countries. Russian Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo said after the session that the anti-terrorism coalition should strengthen cooperation to combat global terrorism.
Rushailo, however, emphasised that foreign military presence in Central Asia to combat terrorism should be brought under international law. Russia is for bringing all decisions to fight global terrorism within international law and U.N. resolutions.
Commenting on the military presence of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries and their allies on the territory of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), he noted that it was necessary to determine the time and legal framework of their presence in the region.
Lately, part of the Russian political elite and foreign policy establishment has voiced concern that the U.S. is seeking to perpetuate its military presence in Central Asia under the pretext of fighting global terrorism.
Thousands of U.S. troops are deployed at the former Soviet military base in Hanabad in Uzbekistan and the Manas airfield in Kyrgyzstan, apart from the use of Tajik airports by American military.
The U.S. is reportedly planning to send hundreds of “military experts” to Georgia, bringing its military forces closer to the Russian border.
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