Russia prods India to join group
Chandy stakes claim inRussia prods India to join group
Russia prods India to join
group
New Delhi, Nov 29, DHNS:
Russia on Monday called upon
India to be a full member of
the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) a six-
nation bloc floated mainly by
Moscow and Beijing ostensibly
to restrict the US role in
Central Asia and as a
counterweight to the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation in
the region.
Moscow also backed New Delhis
bid for a permanent seat on the
UN Security Council.
We want to see India as a full
member of the SCO, not just an
observer, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey V Lavrov told
mediapersons after a meeting
with External Affairs Minister S M
Krishna here. Lavrov was here to
lay the ground for Russian
President Dmitry Medvedevs visit
to India on December 21-22.
We think the UNSC will only
benefit if India becomes its
permanent member. This is our
position at the ongoing talks on
UN reform, said Lavrov.
The Russian Foreign Ministers
comment came just three weeks
after the US President Barack
Obama backed Indias bid for a
permanent seat on the UNSC.
India has been reviewing its
stand on the SCO and taking
keen interests, particularly after
George W Bush era ended in
Washington and Obamas policy
on Afghanistan caused unease in
New Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
himself attended the SCO
summit in the Russian city of
Yekaterinburg last year
signaling a subtle shift in New
Delhis policy on Central Asia. It
was the first time that the PM
represented India in the blocs
summit. Lavrovs remark on
Monday assumed significance as
it was the first time that Russia
publicly prodded India to be a
member of the SCO.
China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia and Tajikistan gave birth
to Shanghai Five in 1996. The
grouping was renamed as the
SCO after Uzbekistan joined it in
2001. Iran, Mongolia and
Pakistan are also observers in the
SCO. Though Indias observer
status in the SCO was cited as an
excuse for the PMs absence in
the past summits of the
grouping, it also reflected New
Delhis policy of not actively
engaging with the organisation.
Power Minister Sushil Kumar
Shinde represented the Prime
Minister in the SCO summit at
Tajik capital Dushanbe last week
and underscored the importance
India attaches to its association
with the bloc, which, according
to New Delhi, has steadily
emerged as a dynamic regional
grouping contributing to
economic development and
security in the region.
Washington has over the past
few months signaled its
willingness to give a re-look to its
policies on Afghanistan and
Obama, during his visit to India,
not only lauded and endorsed
New Delhis role in the war-
ravaged country, but also
announced US plan to launch
joint developmental projects with
India there.
Highly placed officials in New
Delhi, however, said that India
would like to engage with Russia
and other like-minded members
of the SCO on the security issues
in Central Asia as well as in
Afghanistan.