CSTO chief eyes closer partnership with SCO

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is looking forward to closer ties with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), said CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, according to Xinhua.

"The CSTO takes a serious approach to the development of effective and mutually beneficial cooperation with the SCO. We are always open to filling it with practical matters," Khachaturov told Chinese reporters in a recent interview.

He said the relations between the CSTO and the SCO are defined by the memorandum of understanding signed by their secretariats in October 2007 in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.

The memorandum confirms the readiness of both organizations to combine efforts to ensure regional and international security and stability, counter terrorism, combat drug trafficking, suppress illicit arms trafficking and resist organized transnational crimes.

"This document reflects our aspiration to establish and develop relations of equal and constructive cooperation in order to more fully and effectively implement the tasks facing the CSTO and the SCO," Khachaturov said.

In his view, the interaction of the CSTO with the SCO in the field of countering modern challenges and threats has great potential, and the joint fight against drug crimes is a primary concern.

The CSTO, formed in 1992, consists of six members, namely, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, and two observers -- Serbia and Afghanistan.

Founded in 2001, the SCO groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. Their leaders will hold a summit in Qingdao, a coastal city in China's eastern Shandong Province, on Saturday and Sunday.

"The SCO is correctly perceived by the international community as an important factor for ensuring peace, stability, security and development in the region and Asia as a whole," Khachaturov said.

He said the SCO has acquired a global profile and exerts a definitive influence on the further development of the vast Eurasian region.

"Each SCO summit is a firm, confident step toward better cooperation among its member countries," Khachaturov said.

He said he is sure that the Qingdao summit will be fruitful with constructive discussions on global issues and the signing of practical documents.

"I am confident that the outcome will open new opportunities for further cooperation between the CSTO and the SCO," he said.