The US is urging other countries to start a new arms race, according to the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu. He's announced it at the Beijing meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries' Ministers of Defense. The keynotes of his speech were the situation in the Middle East and counter-terrorism.
Artyom Potemin reports with the details.
This meeting of the SCO countries' Ministers of Defense is very traditional. The countries' strategic partnership requires constant communication. The SCO summit at the highest level will be held in Peking in June. One of its essential topics will probably be ensuring safety in the region.
The meeting of the SCO countries' Ministers of Defense is held en masse for the first time. India and Pakistan have joined the organization for military purposes. Moreover, other countries in the region also want to cooperate. The threats are the same for everyone. Most notably, international terrorism. Fighting it alongside such stable examples as Russia and China has become a trend. As Sergey Shoygu has said, the global situation isn't getting any less complicated. However, the SCO countries are still maintaining safety in their regions no matter how hard other countries interfere.
Sergey Shoygu, Russia's Minister of Defense: "The SCO's key priority is still maintaining peace and stability. Despite the escalating international situation, we're able to prevent destabilization in the SCO-controlled zone. In his speech to the National Assembly in March, the President, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin urged everyone to think about a new system for international security and for the stable development of civilization. The SCO's actions will significantly help to reach this goal".
Shoygu used Iraq as an example, where the US-led coalition couldn't handle the insurgents over the years. However, the results of Russia's air operations in Syria are obvious. The Minister told his foreign colleagues that most of the Syrian Arab Republic is free. They're negotiating with the remaining terrorists to make them lay down their arms. The humanitarian actions saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Syrians. The refugees have finally returned to their homes. Currently, all the conditions have been created to help Syria rise again as a sovereign, indivisible state. However, we cannot allow the Islamists to move on to other regions.
As the head of Russia's military establishment said, we must focus not only on border fortification, but also on exchanging experience and information. To achieve this, an SCO expert group began working. Also, Sergey Shoygu has met with the Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
Sergey Shoygu: "I appreciate your support in the UN Security Council regarding the missile strike in Syria. This is a definite violation of all possible international and humanitarian laws. This is typical Western behavior: to punish without investigation".
Xu Qiliang mentioned how important Russia is on the global stage. He said he hopes the partnership between our countries will keep growing.
Artyom Potemin, Rinat Gareev, and Andrey Yurchuk. Vesti, Peking, China.
