CHINA: Leaders from Central Asia, Iran, Russia and Pakistan converge in Shanghai for a regional security summit

Record ID: 858152

  • Title: CHINA: Leaders from Central Asia, Iran, Russia and Pakistan converge in Shanghai for a regional security summit
  • Date: 15th June 2006
  • Summary: WIDE OF SCO LEADERS AND OBSERVER NATIONS IN SUMMIT MEETING
  • Embargoed: 30th June 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAC4QMEZEVMAFX9D7KK2E4M149W
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: A Central Asian summit on regional cooperation opened in China on Thursday (June 15), but the presence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his nuclear ambitions threatened to overshadow the meeting.
    Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) six members - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -assembled in China's financial capital for a group photograph and then closed-door discussions ahead of public speeches marking the fifth anniversary of the organization.
    China says the organization is intended to promote stability and development in the largely Muslim region in its west, and it claims the group is a bulwark against terrorism and religious extremism.
    Chinese President Hu Jintao said the region was faced with urgent problems only cooperation could resolve.
    "Just like the rest of the world, this region is basically stable. But at the same time the three forces (terrorism, extremism, and fragmentation) are rampant, drugs are widespread, cross-border crimes are serious, and particularly economic development is lagging. We need to comprehensively build up our cooperation, work for a long-lasting peace, shared glory and a harmonious region," said Hu Jintao.
    US officials have suggested that China and Russia want to use the group to counter US influence - and also keep an eye on their respective activities - in Central Asia.
    Human rights groups have said the groups' authoritarian member states use the threat of terrorism to repress peaceful opposition.
    Iran is an observer at the meeting, along with India, Pakistan and Mongolia. Afghanistan's President Karzai is attending as a guest.
    Iranian President Ahmadinejad said that the SCO was needed to consolidate regional cooperation and push out opposing influences.
    "Extending these trade ties to political and cultural exchanges can play a role in enhancing regional and world stability and make the SCO a strong institution on a regional and global levels. We should work together to throw out any threats in the region," said Ahmadinejad.
    He also proposed SCO member states convene a meeting of their respective energy ministers in order to enhance cooperation.
    UN sanctions have been threatened against Iran if it does not cease uranium enrichment, amid accusations it is trying to build an atomic bomb. Beijing and Moscow have said they are reluctant for sanctions to be imposed.
    The SCO is one of China's first concerted forays into regional diplomacy.
    China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan set the group up in Shanghai in 2001. It grew out of the "Shanghai Five" which was founded in 1996 to demilitarise the border between China and the former Soviet Union.
    The group held joint military exercises in March in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Next year they will be held in Russia.
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