World
Russia, China welcome India's enhanced role as observer in SCO
Moscow | Thursday, May 15 2008 IST
Russia and China have hailed Indias enhanced role as an observer in the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). ''The Ministers of Russia and China welcome Indias aspirations for playing an enhanced role as an Observer State within the SCO framework,'' a joint communiqu issued after the trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China said. Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee participated in the two-day meeting in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, along with his Russian and Chinese counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Yang Jiechi. The meeting also confirmed the common desire of the three countries to expand their cooperation in Central Asia. ''The Ministers reaffirmed their countries common desire to expand multifaceted cooperation with the Central Asian countries, including in the fields of combating terrorism, separatism, extremism, illegal drug trafficking and trans-boundary crime,'' the communiqu said. ''They also spoke in favour of identifying various forms of trilateral interaction in order to promote further development of the region,'' it added. Reviewing the situation in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR), the Ministers, guided by the principles of multi-lateralism and equal security, stressed the necessity of a regional security system based on mutual confidence, mutual taking into account the interests of the other sides, equality and cooperation. ''They expressed themselves in favour of expanding the economic integration in the APR on a mutually beneficial and non-discriminatory basis in accordance with the principles of open regionalism,'' the communique said. -- (UNI) -- 15DF13.xml
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