The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a regional security
organization founded in Shanghai by the governments of China,
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Mongolia
is currently an observer member.
India's The Hindu newspaper reports:
India will join the Shanghai regional security group
together with Pakistan and Iran next month, as the group seeks to
enhance its security role in Central Asia.
The three countries will be granted observer status in the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation at its summit in Astana, capital
of Kazakhstan, on July 5-6...
...Informed sources said the decision to co-opt the three
countries was a compromise between different interests within and
outside the group.
China insisted on simultaneous admission of India and Pakistan,
even though Delhi and Moscow were unhappy with this linkage. One
Central Asian member of the Shanghai Group was opposed to Iran's
membership. However, Russia said it would block any expansion
unless Iran was included...
...Missgivings about Pakistan were cleared after it became
obvious that Pakistan's involvement in SCO could help reduce the
leverage the United States has on Islamabad.
Also, Pakistan's entry into SCO would hamper Washington's plan
to set up a rival security organisation for Central Asia and the
Caspian that would lock out Russia and China.
In the light of a recent "tulip revolution" in Kyrgyzstan and
an aborted revolt in Uzbekistan, the SCO members decided to step
up joint efforts to safeguard security and stability in Central
Asia.
"The member-states of SCO reaffirm their readiness to enhance
cooperation to jointly oppose the activities of terrorist,
separatist and extremist forces seeking to destabilise the
situation in the region of Central Asia," the joint statement
said.
