 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Shanghai Group Will Not Become A Military Alliance Says Russian Official
Moscow (RIA Novosti) May 23, 2007 The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will not be transformed into a military alliance, Russia's senior security official said Tuesday. The regional group, dominated by Russia and China, is widely seen as a counter to U.S. influence in resource-rich Central Asia and NATO's expansion. "The issue of transforming the organization into a military alliance has not been brought up," Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov said. Ivanov said SCO military exercises were conducted to practice cooperation in antiterrorism operations. The next exercise, Peace Mission 2007, which is likely to involve air forces and precision weapons, will take place in Russia's Urals, close to Central Asia, in July. Russia's then Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier the exercise would be open to the media. The group, which also comprises the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, says it focuses on fighting drug and arms trafficking, terrorism and separatism, and it has conducted a number of joint military exercises since 2003. Russia and China also held their first-ever joint military exercise in 2005 outside the SCO framework, following which Russian officials raised the prospect of India - an SCO observer nation, along with Pakistan and Iran - participating in the exercises in the future. "The SCO's objective is to raise the efficiency of efforts to counter negative trends in the region and the world through collective arrangements," Ivanov said.
Source: RIA Novosti Email This Article
Related Links
Political Geography Is A Changing World
Moscow (RIA Novosti) May 21, 2007An interview with Nikolai Zlobin, director of the Russia and Eurasia Project at the World Security Institute (U.S.) |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
