28.04.2023 (11:55)
Russian Defence Minister addresses the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi
Today on 28 April 2023, a meeting of the heads of defence ministries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries was held in New Delhi today.
The meeting was attended by the defence ministers of Russia, India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the SCO Secretary-General and the Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.
In his report to the meeting of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states, Russian Minister of Defence General of the Army Sergei Shoigu raised international and regional security issues and further strengthened defence cooperation.
The Russian Defence Minister stated that in a bid to maintain global dominance, the US and its allies have severely eroded the global security architecture. At their initiative, the process of breaking and dismantling key arms control and confidence-building agreements was set in motion.
‘At first, Washington unilaterally terminated the US-Soviet Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, refused to ratify the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, then withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and Shorter-Range Missiles and the Treaty on Open Skies’, Sergei Shoigu stressed.
General of the Army Sergei Shoigu noted that the meeting took place against the background of a highly volatile international environment.
‘Fundamental, dynamic, and irreversible changes are taking place as the new multipolar world takes shape. This is actively opposed by the collective West’, he stated.
He also noted that the USA and their allies were trying to reshape the system of inter-state relations through the creation of subordinate regional alliances.
‘Meanwhile, independent states are under unprecedented pressure, using blatant blackmail, threats, colour revolutions, and coups d'état, and spreading gross disinformation. All this has long been a hallmark of the West.’
As the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation stated, ‘as a result, the security arrangements and cooperation formats that have been developed over the decades are put to the test, frozen inter-state tensions are exacerbated, and the risk of local crises escalating into large-scale conflicts is growing’.
‘In this connection, I would like to recall that Russia initiated a strategic stability dialogue with the West in 2021, which was supposed to address all security issues and identify possible ways of resolving them by political and diplomatic means. However, our proposals in this regard have been rejected, indicating unwillingness to build an equal partnership’.
General of the Army Sergei Shoigu stated that the Russian side has already stressed the importance of building equal and indivisible security, of preserving the central role of the UN, of upholding its Charter and its purposes and principles aimed at maintaining peace and stability.
The Russian Defence Minister invited the counterparts from the SCO member states to participate in another Moscow Conference on International Security 2023.
‘I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to attend the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security. The event provided a meaningful forum for discussing the most pressing military-political problems, which is becoming particularly relevant in the current context’, Sergei Shoigu noted.
At the same time, he stress that it was important to strengthen the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as one of the pillars of the new multipolar international system, a model of inter-state relations based on equality and mutual respect, and observance of international law.
‘It is necessary to maintain close coordination within the SCO and to hold regular consultations on common security issues, both in multilateral and bilateral ways’, Sergei Shoigu noted.
Minister of Defence General of the Army Sergei Shoigu noted that the conflict in Ukraine is a clear demonstration of this criminal policy. ‘Its real aim is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, threaten China, and maintain its monopoly position in the world’.
‘Today, Washington and its enablers are pursuing their strategic agenda of provoking other countries into military confrontation with undesirable states, most notably Russia and China. The conflict in Ukraine is a clear demonstration of this criminal policy. Its real aim is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, threaten China, and maintain its monopoly position in the world’, Sergei Shoigu stressed.
According to him, ‘more than five billion US dollars were spent on the Maidan anti-constitutional coup in 2014, leading to the formation of a hostile nationalist, Russophobic regime on our borders, which has rushed eagerly to solve the 'Russian question' in Ukraine.’
‘Given the Kiev's refusal to implement the Minsk agreements and the real threat to the residents of Donbas, we decided to launch the special military operation.
In doing so, the West has demonstrated its advance preparation for a confrontation with the Russian Federation. Large-scale sanctions were immediately imposed on Russia, arms were supplied to Ukraine, intelligence were transmitted, and military advisers and mercenaries were sent to the combat zone.
In this way, the military capabilities and capacities of almost all the NATO countries were involved’, Sergei Shoigu noted.
Sergei Shoigu drew the attention of the SCO defence ministers to the fact that the arms deliveries to the Kiev only prolong the conflict, cause more casualties and destruction of infrastructure, and finally boomerang back, affecting the stability of Europe and the world as a whole.
‘The transferred weapons end up on the black market and go further into the hands of terrorist organisations, which poses additional risks, especially given the allegations of depleted uranium ammunition to be supplied to the AFU’, Sergei Shoigu stated.
‘Russia has been left with no option but to eliminate the threats emanating from Ukraine militarily.
Our objectives are clear, and they will be achieved within the special military operation.’
During the meeting, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu drew his counterparts’ attention to the Pentagon's bioweapons programmes in Ukraine, which are aimed at developing biological weapons components.
‘US military-biological activity is of particular concern. We have repeatedly brought our concerns to the global community and noted that the Pentagon's implementation of the military biological programmes on the national territory and abroad poses a serious threat to other states and entire regions. In the case of Ukraine, we see the dual purpose of these programmes and their actual focus on the development of biological weapons components, in direct violation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Meanwhile, a part of the US biosecurity strategy is to shift the most dangerous research to the third countries. All these activities continue also because of the inarticulate reactions of some states fearing of confrontation with the US authorities. With that said, we will continue to closely monitor Washington's plans and share information on the biological threats that arise’.
Sergei Shoigu also stressed in his report that Russia's partners experience pressure to isolate the Russian Federation. ‘During the special military operation, Russia's partners experience pressure to isolate the Russian Federation
The West has launched global informational campaign to compromise the Russian leadership and it's policies.
With a disregard to the harm to its economic and political interests, the West demonstrates intransigence and readiness to continue the universal pressure. However, in the end, all such attempts eventually fail’.
In this context, Sergei Shoigu thanked the SCO member states for their principled position and support.
‘The SCO independent policies concerning regional and global security challenges could set as an example for international community’, he noted.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu named Washington and its allies as among those most actively opposing the formation of a multilateral world in the Asia–Pacific region today.
‘The West's countermeasures for developing multilateralism could be evidently observed in the Asia–Pacific region. There the USA paved the way to disintegration of existing regional security system with the ASEAN member-states key role’, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu noted.
According to him, Military and political alliances, such as QUAD and AUKUS, initiated similar countermeasures.
He stressed that the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific region was promoted.
‘The concept implies the construction of the intergovernmental relations bloc system in which the Americans arrogate to themselves the power to determine the norms and rules of behavior. In order to contain China, a front is forming. The tension around the so-called Taiwan problem are purposely escalated, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea are being heated.’
‘In our understanding, one of the major achievements in the Asia–Pacific region is bloc-free and equal interaction and it must be preserved. The existing mechanisms of cooperation with extra-regional partners have shown their relevance and effectiveness. First and foremost, this is the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting and Partners, the ADMM Plus format, which focuses on topical security issues.’
He also noted positive experience of cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, of implementing mutually beneficial projects on a bilateral basis.
In his address, Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu paid special attention to the situation in the Central Asian region, which, in his view, has prerequisites for further escalation.
‘Numerous radical extremist groups entrenched in the territory of Afghanistan pose the main threat, promoting their ideas and efforts in neighboring republics. The probability of infiltration by gangs of various international terrorist organisations, such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the Islamic Movement of East Turkestan, is increasing. Clear coordination and stepping up our efforts against terrorism, separatism, and extremism is required in order to resolve the current situation in the region, as well as introducing mitigation measures. To our mind, the topic of Afghanistan must be kept on the agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Only comprehensive international and regional assistance can facilitate measures to overcome challenges Afghanistan faces alone’, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu stated.
At the same time, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu noted that ‘as a result of their twenty-year presence on Afghan soil and their subsequent rapid withdrawal, bear the greatest responsibility for the situation there. They should bear the main financial expenses of post-conflict reconstruction’.
‘Instead, the U.S. and its allies, under the pretext of countering terrorism, are trying to restore their military presence in the Central Asia.
We regard requests to regional countries to deploy military infrastructure as a direct threat to stability in the SCO region’.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia was increasing the combat readiness of its bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan amid attempts by the United States and its allies to restore its military presence in Central Asia.
Speaking about the tasks aimed at modernising the SCO's work, including mechanisms for responding to challenges and threats, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said it was necessary to develop a mechanism for information exchange in the field of military security within the SCO and develop cooperation with a focus on conducting joint exercises.
According to the Defence Minister, an expert working group of the SCO Council has drafted an agreement on the organisation of information exchange between the defence ministries of the SCO countries and its protection, which will serve as a basis for such cooperation.
‘I propose to speed up its approval in the states,’ Shoigu said.
He added that another goal was to strengthen military cooperation with a focus on joint drills and other combat training activities.
In addition, Shoigu noted that the Russian military was willing to share its combat experience. ‘They should be used to practise countering new methods and techniques used by terrorist organisations,’ Shoigu stated.
He mentioned the use of unmanned aerial vehicles and how to combat them, information security, and biological security as some viable topics while discussing the need to broaden ways of interaction.
Shoigu added, ‘It is also worthwhile to consider realising the organisation's potential in the sphere of peacekeeping’.
He also said it was necessary to develop partnerships with other regional integration organisation, first and foremost with the CSTO and the CIS.
‘Invite them, as well as representatives of friendly countries, to participate in individual SCO events. Such an approach would help spread the 'Shanghai spirit' among the global community,’ Shoigu said.
According to him, amid the imbalance of global and regional security systems, it is becoming more urgent to improve communication inside the SCO, a global organisation that respects the multilateralism based on standards of international law.
‘Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the stability of this Organisation in the context of attempts by external forces to undermine its cohesion and provoke internal crises in the member states,’ Shoigu said.
In his statement, Sergei Shoigu said that ‘it is important to consistently implement the agreements reached at the highest level on modernising the SCO's work, including mechanisms for responding to challenges and threats’.
The Russian Defence Minister concluded his speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers’ Meeting by stating that ‘maintaining peace and security shall remain a constant key priority’.
