Security bloc focuses on economy as crisis hits home

By Zhang Haizhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-16 09:18

The focus of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is shifting from military and politics to trade, economics and culture, said Ikram Adyrbekov, Kazakhstan's ambassador to China.

In an interview with China Daily, Adyrbekov also said the organization will increase its participation in combating terrorism in Afghanistan.

"Cooperation among SCO members has moved to a brand new level, and the scope of collaboration has greatly expanded," Adyrbekov said.

Security bloc focuses on economy as crisis hits home

Having resolved border disputes and built political and military trust among member states, the SCO is now working on boosting living standards and public welfare for its populations, he said.

"The SCO is now concentrating on finance, trade and economics, culture and humanity, and also on environmental protection," Adyrbekov said.

The SCO, a regional organization founded in 2001 in Shanghai, comprises China, Russia and the central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia.

India, Pakistan and Iran are observers in the SCO.

The organization is primarily centered around its member nations' Central Asian security-related concerns, including terrorism, separatism and extremism.

During this year's SCO summit, which began in Russia's Yekaterinburg from yesterday, experts said that combating the global financial crisis would top leaders' agenda.

"All members of the SCO have been affected by the crisis. (So) the summit offers a chance (to address the issue)," said Jiang Yi, a researcher on Russia and Central Asia studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Jiang said summit attendees are also likely to reach some agreements on topics including infrastructure and energy cooperation.

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"But anti-terrorism will still be the focus that the SCO will have to face in the long run," Jiang added.

Adyrbekov stressed that the SCO is increasing its participation in addressing problems of Afghanistan.

"International experts have the view that the organization is capable enough to organize talks on the Afghan problem," Adyrbekov said. "The organization, generally speaking, is getting more sensitive toward other important international issues."

Jin Canrong, an expert in international security at Renmin University of China, said attendees of the ongoing summit will discuss anti-terrorism in Central Asia, as the United States has shifted its focus from Iraq to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Jin said Central Asian countries are divided on whether they should cooperate with the US, so it is "hard to say" what the outcome of the discussions would be.

"But it is for sure that the anti-terror situation will be more complicated than before, so the SCO will do some adjustments," Jin added.
 
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