Massive Shanghai Cooperation Organization update, June 15 week Options

[Mid-Night_Sun]

1. SCO summit convenes to formulate future mission
English.news.cn 2011-06-15 13:23:12 FeedbackPrintRSS

ASTANA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) met in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, Wednesday to celebrate the 10th birthday of the organization and formulate the SCO's missions for the next decade.

At the Astana summit, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other leaders of the SCO members will review the achievements of the organization made in the past decade, and work out strategies for its future.

President Hu is expected to deliver a speech at the summit to expound China's propositions on the development of the SCO in the next decade, including how to strengthen good-neighborly friendship, the regional security, practical cooperation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, according to Chinese officials.

"The heads of state of the SCO members will make arrangements for expanding cooperation in the sectors of politics, security, economy and people-to-people and cultural exchanges and for strengthening capacity building of the SCO," said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping at a press briefing last week.

President Hu will discuss with leaders of other SCO member states how to expand economic cooperation, Cheng said, adding that China will provide more financial assistance to other member states within its ability.

He said that China will take advantage of the SCO's rotating presidency after the Astana summit to boost security and law-enforcement cooperation under the framework of the SCO, in an effort to fight the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

At the end of the summit, the leaders are expected to issue a political declaration and a press communique.

"The declaration is a very important political document, as it is a guide to action for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for a period of time in the future," Cheng said.

In a signed article published last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that the Astana summit will be a meeting of historic significance as it will help review the institution's development over the past decade and chart a blueprint for the future.

"We have every reason to believe that, with the common care and joint efforts of all the sides concerned, Wednesday's SCO summit will be a great success," said the Chinese foreign minister.

Founded on June 15, 2001, the SCO groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India are observers of the organization.

In the past decade, the SCO has played a positive role in promoting regional peace and stability and in advancing economic and social development of member states. It has become one of the most influential constructive institutions in Eurasia.

The SCO cooperation has so far covered wide-ranging areas such as security, economy, transportation, culture, disaster relief and law enforcement, with security and economic cooperation being the priorities.

However, as the international and regional situations today are much more complex and fluid than 10 years ago, the SCO faces a more arduous task of consolidating regional security and promoting common development.

Political analysts said that in the next 10 years, the SCO should put in place a full-fledged system for security cooperation in the region.

The organization should continue its efforts in fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and other transnational crimes, so as to ensure peace and development of the region, they said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/chin.../c_13931001.htm




2. Who will join SCO?
Jun 14, 2011 16:18 Moscow Time



Interview with Aleksandr Gabuyev, a journalist with the Kommersant Daily. Alexander, you are covering the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. What is the significance of the SCO right now?

This is the only organization that brings together Russia, China and Central Asian nations. It was initiated just after the collapse of the Soviet Union to mitigate the challenges caused by border issues. But right now the organization aims at building real economic, military and political alliances in Central Asia, Russia and China. So, it will be a united block of countries with similar political regimes and economic interests. Many of them are members of the same military blocks, and there are some anti-terrorist structures inside the SCO as well.

For American audience – SCO members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, whereas the observer status is held by Iran, India, Mongolia and Pakistan. Right?

Right. And at the summit that we are awaiting there’ll be a new charter, which will stipulate the accession of new members. There are two members in line – Iran and India. But one of the charter articles will see that nations under international sanctions – and that is Iran – will not be allowed to join the SCO. So, in the next year or several years – that depends on negotiations – we and China will see India join this club, which will change the whole dynamics in the organization, because now the two main powers are China and Russia. But, of course, you cannot compare their economic power – China has second largest GDP and Russia’s is just eighth. So, we still have one major pool of influence and dominance in this organization, and the accession of India will make it more democratic. That’s why Russia and President Medvedev will lobby India’s joining the organization.

Obviously, India’s membership won’t be a problem. But do you think that using the SCO to encourage Iran to either change or drop its nuclear plans might make it easier for Iran to join the SCO?

I don’t think so, because it doesn’t seem that Iran would abandon its nuclear programme for membership of any organization, be it SCO or WTO. I don’t think that it will be possible for Iran to join, because Tehran wants SCO membership just to have a shield, because SCO countries have obligations to defend one another. It’s not like NATO’s Article 5, but still. So, Tehran expects the SCO accession to help it deal with the western pressure. I don’t think that Moscow and Beijing want to create more problems with Washington, or Brussels, or any European capital in regard to Iran.

Apparently, Russian President Medvedev is going to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Afghanistan is obviously very important in this region. What do you think his talks with Karzai will entail? What do you think they will be talking about? Obviously, about the US troops’ withdrawal, but what role will Russia play in what happens after American troops are gone?

Russia tried to make an impression that it would play a role in Afghanistan, but because of obvious reasons the topic of any Russian troops returning to Afghanistan is too sensitive for Russian audience, and I don’t think that any Russian leadership would consider it. In terms of economic help, Russia hasn’t got sufficient funds, as for example China, or India, or the US, or any other global player to help rebuild Afghanistan. To me it seems more like a soft power game to increase Russian prominence. But there’s one aspect in which Russia could be particularly helpful to Afghanistan – its weapon sales for the needs of Afghan National Forces, because, after the US troops have withdrawn, we’ll need to boost the capacity of both Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, and it’s impossible without supplying them with helicopters. Russia is one of the largest manufactures, and the US and Russia have recently concluded a deal of purchasing nearly 30 Russian Mi helicopters. So, maybe one of the topics will be shipments of Russian weaponry to Afghanistan.

Religious extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking in Afghanistan affect the entire region. How do you think President Medvedev will deal with it when talking to Hamid Karzai?

Obviously, the problem of Afghan narcotrafficking doesn’t come from Afghanistan alone, but it also depends on the state of the southern Russian borders. He may raise this issue, but I don’t think that it will be possible for Karzai to answer something practical. They may come back to the question of capacity building in Afghanistan, because it’s Kabul, which should be in power to control the country, so that this drugs threat for Russia would be mitigated.

Let’s talk about investment now. I understand China has become the biggest investor in Afghanistan. And obviously, when US troops pull out, other countries may try to come in to take advantage of its natural resources. For instance, there’s a 3-billion-dollar contract to develop a copper mine that China has invested in. Do you think that Russia will be following behind to try to take advantage of the natural resources in Afghanistan?

I don’t think so, because Russia is already a resource superpower. It has a lot of resources itself to invest into other countries’ resources. And now, as you know, President Medvedev is launching a campaign to attract foreign investors to Russia, because we don’t have sufficient capital to explore oil and gas fields in Siberia. So, I don’t think that Russian companies will go to Afghanistan. What our companies can do is to participate in infrastructural projects, because we have around 100 infrastructural projects built by Soviet specialists in 1970-1980s, and Russian companies have preserved technical documentation for them. So, they made up about 50% of Afghanistan’s GDP, and if the Afghanistan government wants to rebuild them, I suppose Russian companies could provide them with some financial and technical assistance.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/06/14/51697993.html




3. India attaches great importance to its association with SCO: Krishna
From ANI

Astana (Kazakhstan), June 15: External Affairs Minister S.M Krishna on Wednesday said India attaches great importance to its association with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and values the consistent and mature contribution made by the organisation to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.


Addressing the 11th SCO Heads of States Summit here, Krishna said: "India has demonstrated its strong commitment to the SCO by participating constructively at SCO meetings open to Observers. It is of great importance to us that most SCO member countries are our neighbours or belong to our extended neighbourhood, with a strong historical and cultural legacy of centuries binding us together."

"Connectivity between SCO countries is in fact central. One bottleneck to trade and economic activity among the SCO members and observer countries is the lack of viable transport linkages," he added.

Stating that the SCO can address the problem of limited connectivity through regional solutions and break barriers that inhibit trade and investment flows between the member countries, Krishna said: "India is ready to cooperate with member countries to find viable solutions to this problem and contribute to the endeavor to build bridges between Central and South Asia."

Krishna said the Memorandum of Obligation being discussed by this Summit would pave the way for expansion of the organisation in a natural process of its evolution.

"India would be happy to play a larger and deeper role in the SCO when the rules and criteria for full membership are clear. We value the role of the SCO in bringing security, stability and development to our region and stand ready to contribute more to the SCO for the common good of the people of our region," said Krishna.

"We have friendly ties with all the member states and we wish to bring to the table our technical expertise, markets and financial commitment, all of which equip us to fulfill greater responsibilities in this forum," he added.

Krishna further said: "SCO members and observers could cooperate more in the future on regional and global threats arising out of climate change, environmental security, food security, energy security, particularly non-conventional sources of energy and other emerging issues which require a joint response for sustainable development. India stands ready to make a constructive contribution in these areas."

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/445521.php




4. Pakistan wants full membership of SCO: Zardari

Wednesday June 15, 2011 (1236 PST)


ASTANA: President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday arrived in the Kazakh capital to represent Pakistan at the 10th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The tenth anniversary summit opens for a full day of business today (Wednesday).

Kazakhstan on Tuesday prepared for the summit of the SCO - regarded as a rival of Nato - that is to see rare encounters between Chinese and Russian leaders with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

As President Zardari alighted from his special aircraft at Astana’s International Airport along with his delegation, he was warmly received by Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Akhtar Tufail and other senior officials were also present. The president was accompanied by Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar.

From the airport, President Zardari left for the Ak Orda Presidential Palace to hold a bilateral meeting with President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Leaders of Central and South Asia will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the organization at the SCO summit. President Zardari will address the SCO summit and share views with regional leaders on the serious challenges facing the region.

The SCO was set up in 2001 as a security counterweight to Nato that would allow Russia and China to rival US influence in Asia. But increasingly, it is looking to cooperate at an economic level. Pakistan attaches great importance to the regional organisation that has members like the second biggest economy of the world, China, Russia and the natural resources rich Central Asian states.

As the SCO is expected to adopt a memorandum on the status of observer states, Pakistan will enter into negotiations to ultimately achieve membership of the regional grouping, which is playing a key role in maintaining peace and stability in Asia and beyond. President Zardari is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with SCO leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

Meanwhile, President Zardari and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Tuesday pledged to work together to maintain regional peace and stability and promote prosperity in their countries. The two leaders met at the Ak Orda Presidential Palace in the Kazakh capital and discussed matters of international, regional and bilateral issues of mutual interest.

Zardari said Pakistan desires to promote cooperation with regional countries and carry out joint projects to bring tangible benefits to the people. The two leaders agreed on the need to increase collaboration to meet the challenges of security, expand their economies and increase trade in the region. They stressed on strengthening their bilateral relations and increase participation in multilateral forums like SCO to take advantage of each other’s strengths and expertise in various fields.

Zardari told the Kazakh president about Pakistan’s efforts to curb terrorism and extremism and said his countrymen, both civilians and military personnel, had offered great sacrifices to protect their way of life. He said Pakistan’s participation in SCO as full member would help it play a more active role in regional affairs. Zardari told the host about the lucrative incentives offered by Pakistan for foreign investors. They agreed to expand their ties by increasing exchange of visits between officials of the two countries and encouraging businessmen and private sectors to explore mutual opportunities.

Later, talking to journalists after meeting his Kazakh counterpart, President Zardari said, “Pakistan looks forward to Kazakhstan to contribute in making this region peaceful through enhanced cooperation in regional development and connectivity”. He also mentioned the importance of Pakistani ports that can provide connectivity to the Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan.

President Zardari described SCO as “a great forum” and said Pakistan wanted to become a full member and was hoping for the support of all SCO members. “SCO has a great future and tomorrow is an SCO world”, he remarked.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Ahmadinejad has already arrived in the Kazakh capital Astana along with Chinese President Hu Jintao who has been on an official visit to Kazakhstan, state media said.

End.

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?240395




5. Ahmadinejad joins China, Russia leaders at summit

By Aleks Tapinsh (AFP) – 3 days ago

ASTANA — Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday joined the Chinese and Russian leaders in a rare encounter at a summit in Kazakhstan, where he launched a new attack on the "slavers and colonisers" of the West.

Host Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a security group regarded as a NATO rival founded in 2001, to take a more active role in ensuring regional security.

But most attention was focused on Ahmadinejad, who was absent from last year's SCO meeting in Tashkent after the UN Security Council agreed sanctions against Iran and was making a rare appearance at a big international meeting.

In a characteristically firebrand speech peppered with rhetorical questions, he launched a new call for a wholesale shake-up of the world order, which he said was "managed and run by slavers and colonizers of the past."

"I believe together we can reform the way the world is managed. We can restore the tranquillity of the world," he said.

Turning to his audience of ex-Soviet and Asian leaders he asked: "Have any of us used an atomic bomb against the defenceless citizens of any other country?"

Returning to his past claims that a conspiracy could have been behind the September 11 attacks on the United States, Ahmadinejad added:

"Have any of our countries played a part in the creation of 9/11 under whose pretext Afghanistan and Iraq were invaded and more than one million people have been killed or wounded?"

Chinese leader Hu Jintao held talks on Tuesday with Ahmadinejad, discussing Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.

China urged Iran to participate in the six-party talks on nuclear energy and "take substantial steps in respect of establishing trust" and "speed up the process of dialogue," the Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

Tehran used to rely on Moscow as a dependable ally in its standoff over the nuclear programme but relations have rapidly deteriorated as Russia increased pressure on Iran after Dmitry Medvedev became president.

Medvedev and Nazarbayev were later to have a trilateral meeting with Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the summit, a Kazakh diplomatic source who asked not to be named told AFP.

On the unrest shaking the Arab world, the member states agreed a declaration expressing concern about the instability but supporting "the drive of regional states in the path of democratic development in accordance with their specific cultural and historical characteristics."

Nazarbayev said in his opening address that the organisation had to become a greater force after it showed little capacity to react during last year's uprising and ethnic violence in member state Kyrgyzstan.

"We watched over two sharp political conflicts and a coup in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan and our organisation did not and could not make any decisions," he said.

With Afghan President Hamid Karzai attending as a guest, Nazarbayev also expressed alarm that drug trafficking in Afghanistan had increased by a factor of ten in the last decade.

"It is clear that the source and reasons of this crime against humanity are far outside the borders of Afghanistan," the Kazakh leader said.

The six-member SCO was set up in 2001 as a security counterweight to NATO that would allow Russia and China to rival US influence in Asia. It is now also looking to cooperate at an economic level.

Its membership includes the ex-Soviet Central Asian states and with the likes of India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan attending meetings as observers, its summits bring together an eclectic gathering of world leaders.

The summit is the latest in a string of big international meetings hosted by Astana, Kazakhstan's shiny new capital, which in the last months has already welcomed a summit of the OSCE and the annual meeting of the EBRD.

Kazakhstan has embarked on a tireless campaign of self-promotion to show itself as Central Asia's most stable and prosperous state although rights activists complain the country shows little tolerance for any dissent.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...9090de182f4.641

[qwerty2010]

If both India and Pakistan can achieve a long-term peace and non-aggression settlement through SCO, it would be a great achievement. I hope they both cease their hostilities through this neutral channel.

[Elite4]

As early as 1999, China was considered a major Second Superpower.

Not even Stalin himself, nor Mao would have though Russia would accept junior partner status in an organization named after the greatest metropolis the world has ever known, and it's not based Brussels, Belgium, or Warsaw, Poland.

[devils666]

If both India and Pakistan can achieve a long-term peace and non-aggression settlement through SCO, it would be a great achievement. I hope they both cease their hostilities through this neutral channel.

Agreed. The west is using India and Pakistan against each other to force a conflict with China. I really hope these SCO meetings lead to an Alliance and peace.