2023-07-05 09:21:49
July 5, 2023 at 9:19 am
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The international situation such as the war between Russia and Ukraine has complicated the relationship between the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (file photo)
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) sought to strengthen ties and cooperation within the expanding Eurasian bloc at a summit on Tuesday (July 4), while stressing that the group is not targeting any country.
The online video summit was hosted by India. The heads of state of China, India, and Russia all delivered speeches and issued a joint statement expressing their opposition to the use of blocs, ideology, and hostility to deal with international issues and security challenges.
The organization issued the New Delhi Declaration, supporting the implementation of the roadmap for member states to expand the share of local currency settlement, and pointed out that the member states will expand and deepen cooperation to promote sustainable economic and social development in the SCO region.
Apart from India, member states have also voiced support for China’s expansive Belt and Road Initiative.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, attending an international conference for the first time since a brief mutiny, assured leaders of Russia’s stability and unity.
Chinese President Xi Jinping once again emphasized vigilance against a “new cold war.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently completed his visit to the United States, urged member states to cooperate in counter-terrorism matters.
The Asian security bloc, founded by Russia and China, also welcomed Iran as a new member, bringing its membership to nine.
China, Russia and four Central Asian countries formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2001 to limit Western influence in the region.
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Putin attends first international meeting since Wagner bloc mutiny
Putin: Sanctions make Russia stronger
The Russian president, appearing at an international forum for the first time since last month’s short-lived Wagner bloc insurgency, assured leaders of the SCO member states of Russia’s stability and unity.
He told the summit that Russia would resist Western “provocations” and its “special military operations” in Ukraine.
He appears to be using the platform to send a confrontational message to the West. “Russia resists all these external sanctions, pressures and provocations and continues to develop like never before,” he said.
“The Russian people are united as never before,” Putin said in a televised address from the Moscow Kremlin.
“Russian politics and society as a whole have clearly demonstrated solidarity and responsibility for the destiny of the Fatherland by standing united at the front lines against an attempted armed rebellion.”
Russia has been sanctioned and isolated by the West since its military attack on Ukraine last year, and the country sees countries such as China, India and Iran as key partners in responding to Western geopolitical pressure.
Putin’s support for trade deals in local currencies between member states is also seen as an attempt to weaken Western sanctions.
“I would like to thank my colleagues from the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, who expressed their support for the Russian leadership in protecting the constitutional order and the safety of citizens’ lives,” he said.
Putin added that more than 80 percent of trade between the peoples of China and Russia is settled in rubles and yuan, and urged other Shanghai Cooperation Organization members to follow the same process.
He also welcomed a bid by Russian ally Belarus to become a member of the SCO next year.
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Modi has been refraining from criticizing Russia over Ukraine war
Iranian Naturalization
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the summit that Iran officially became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – seen as a new step out of international isolation as Iran strengthens ties with China and Russia.
“The benefits of full membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be historic”, says Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Rehi as saying that he hoped that membership would pave the way for improved security, respect for the sovereignty of member states, sustainable development and countering environmental threats.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message that the summit was responding to growing global challenges and risks.
“At a time when the world needs to work together, divisions are growing and geopolitical tensions are rising,” Guterres was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.
“These differences have been exacerbated by a number of factors: different approaches to global crises; different perceptions of non-traditional security threats; and, of course, the fallout from COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Xi Jinping: Be wary of external forces instigating a “new Cold War”
When it was Chinese President Xi Jinping’s turn to speak, he mentioned the importance of maintaining regional peace and security, urging the SCO member states to “keep on the right direction and enhance solidarity and mutual trust”.
In his speech, he mentioned that China insists on resolving differences and conflicts among countries through dialogue and consultation, and promotes the resolution of geopolitical issues. However, he also called for vigilance against “external forces inciting a new cold war in the region.”
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Relations between China and India have been tense since border clash in 2020
Both Xi and Putin have advocated a push towards a system in which foreign trade can be settled in local currencies, avoiding the use of dollars, especially with Russia under sanctions.
Xi said trade ties between member states needed to be closer. In addition to expanding the proportion of local currency settlements among member states, he also advocated the establishment of a development bank in the SCO. At the same time, he emphasized the need to maintain economic globalization. chain”.
In terms of security affairs, he reminded all countries to hold the future of development and progress in their own hands, and “resolutely oppose any country interfering in internal affairs and instigating color revolutions for any reason.”
In addition, he also said that joint operations will be launched to severely crack down on “East Turkistan” forces, drug smuggling, transnational organizations and cyber crimes.
Diplomatic Balance and Dilemma
The Associated Press commented that although the Shanghai Cooperation Organization continues to expand, the organization still faces the risk of conflicts of interest and friction among member states.
As mentioned in the New Delhi declaration, the organization’s six member states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – all reaffirmed their support for China’s “Belt and Road” initiative.
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But India has opposed the initiative because its infrastructure design includes parts of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, which New Delhi believes should be part of its breakaway territory.
India and Pakistan have long been at loggerheads over Kashmir – the disputed Himalayan region that is divided between the two countries but claimed in its entirety by both countries.
Meanwhile, Delhi and Beijing have each stationed thousands of troops along the disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region, in a stalemate that has dragged on for years.
Moreover, the SCO summit comes amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, in which Moscow has become increasingly dependent on China for diplomacy.
While New Delhi has refrained from criticizing Russia’s aggression, Moscow’s relationship with China could in the long run provoke India and complicate its relationship with Russia today.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired the summit, called on member states to strengthen cooperation in trade, connectivity and technology.
He didn’t directly mention the war in Ukraine or China’s growing presence in the Indo-Pacific — a diplomatic balance India, historically nonaligned, has to balance because of its growing ties to the West.
Just a few days ago, the United States gave Modi a grand reception on his state visit to Washington.
India, on the other hand, has angered the West by refusing to blame Russia for the Ukraine war and has dramatically expanded bilateral trade by increasing purchases of Russian oil.
While Modi addressed regional security issues at the summit, he did not mention China – a long-running rivalry between the two countries, where tensions erupted in 2020 after a deadly clash between the two armies on the long-disputed border. To some extent it continues to this day.
The West increasingly sees India as a counterweight to China, even if Delhi has never publicly acknowledged this.
At the SCO summit, India once again avoided talking about this aspect.
Instead, the Indian prime minister urged member states to cooperate in fighting cross-border terrorism.
“Some countries use cross-border terrorism as a policy tool to provide sanctuary to terrorists… The SCO should not be polite when criticizing these countries,” Modi said.
Such statements are often seen as targeting neighboring Pakistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the SCO member states must take measures “to combat the three evils of terrorism, extremism and separatism”.
But he also said efforts by religious minorities to “pursue a domestic political agenda” should not be demonized – seen as a travesty against India, which Pakistan often accuses of failing to protect the rights of Muslims.
Modi’s government has consistently denied that India has failed to protect its religious minorities — India’s population is largely Hindu.
When the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001, it included China, Russia and the four former Soviet republics in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined in 2017.
After Iran joined this year, Belarus is also likely to apply to join next year.
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