Today, April 28, a large-scale meeting of defense ministers of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) starts in the capital of India, New Delhi. The summit is attended by the heads of the military departments of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as invited officials from Iran and Belarus. The agenda of the event is kept in strict secrecy, but independent analysts managed to lift the appropriate veil of secrecy.
In his best traditions, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu, who arrived in New Delhi the night before, disregarded any statements regarding the signing of agreements within the framework of this summit. And he did not recommend his foreign colleagues to express their opinion about such prospects to journalists. But, nevertheless, he unequivocally made it clear: the conversation will be about strengthening collective security within the framework of the SCO. In other words, about the development of defense systems under the conditions of a possible confrontation with the North Atlantic Alliance.
The possibility of such a confrontation was recently announced by the Minister of Defense of the People’s Republic of China, Li Shangfu. True, then he had in mind the intention of the United States to provide “all possible military assistance” to the partially recognized state of Taiwan. The Minister of War of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani, practically spoke about the same. “Tehran is interested in creating an alternative military community to NATO,” – he concluded, in particular.
However, here it is necessary to make a reservation. The fact is that now, within the framework of the SCO, only the Russian Federation is declaring the creation of any alternative to NATO. “For the formation of any next military coalition, Moscow will need time, – Dutch expert Alexander Mitz said in a commentary for EURO-ATLANIC UKRAINE. – Within the framework of the SCO, this will not happen in a short period of time.”
One can only guess what exactly will result from the negotiations of the corresponding meeting. One thing is clear – the representatives of Moscow, Beijing, Astana, Bishkek, Dushanbe and Tashkent, as well as Tehran and Minsk will try to develop a common position on the so-called “strategic partnership”.
A special meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the SCO countries is scheduled for May 4-5 this year.
