Russian defense minister says main threat for SCO countries emanates from Afghanistan

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Friday that the main threat for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members emanates from Afghanistan where international terrorist groups find shelter due to unstable and indefinite political situation.

Speaking at a meeting of the SCO defense ministers in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, Shoygu said Washington has stepped up efforts to restore its positions in Central and South Asia that were lost after the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan.

The military chief called "unacceptable" the deployment of the American military infrastructure in the region, arguing that intentions should be regarded as "a direct threat to stability in the SCO space."

According to him, the US is trying to impose a new security system in the Asia-Pacific region for dominance.

Shoygu welcomed Iran's accession to the SCO, and expressed hope that Belarus will join the bloc soon.

He lamented the West's position regarding Iran's retaliatory strike on Israel, asserting that double standards are applied when it comes to Tehran's right to self-defense.

Shoygu urged the participants to ensure the SCO's stability from external "destructive influences," including attempts to provoke "color revolutions," and to form the continental architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.

"The main accent should be done on the development of contacts through the military line between the SCO and Collective Security Treaty Organization," he said.

Close cooperation between the military, the formation of a stable information exchange for a timely response to terrorist and other possible threats, joint military drills have to be on the list of the SCO priorities, he said.

The minister suggested expanding the geography of joint exercises, strengthening their media coverage, inviting representatives of other regional associations, and "friendly" states.

"The implementation of these proposals will ensure the progressive development of the SCO and the maintenance of stability in the Organization's space," he said.

- US claim to global dominance endangers stability worldwide

Shoygu criticized the US position in global affairs, denouncing it as the "claim for global dominance, which endangers stability worldwide."

The minister highlighted that in its aspiration to playing a leading role in global affairs, the US is using a wide arsenal of measures to "neutralize" potential competitors, including through creating tensions on their borders.

The military chief argued that the war in Ukraine, started by Moscow in February 2022, was incited by Washington in an attempt to contain Russia. He noted that despite promises about non-expansion given in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO troops came directly on Russia's borders, creating a serious military threat for Moscow.

Now the West is portraying Russia as an "aggressor" country, ascribing to it non-existent plans to attack Europe, he said.

"The Russian Federation has never threatened NATO. We have neither geopolitical nor military interests in attacking the states of the bloc. We are just protecting our people in our historical territories," he stressed, reminding Russia's multiple calls to ensure equal security through signing international agreements.

Shoygu accused the West of direct involvement in Ukraine's war, saying Europe and US supply weapons and military equipment to Kyiv, and their military advisers plan sabotage attacks on the territory of Russia, while their politicians "hypocritically" call for "de-escalation."

The minister expressed concern over Ukraine's strikes on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's second-largest nuclear facility, saying such attacks are fraught with "catastrophic consequences."

The military chief also blamed Kyiv for its alleged involvement in the March 22 terrorist attack on the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow region.