Moscow, June 23 (IANS) The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) does not intend to become an analogue of NATO, despite the upcoming inclusion of new members, in particular India and Pakistan, according to chief of Russia’s presidential administration Sergei Ivanov.
“As for the SCO, as the Russian president talked about this, a very important procedure will be started — the beginning of inclusion of two such large countries as India and Pakistan,” TASS news agency quoted Ivanov as saying on Monday.
“Both of them are nuclear, although SCO is not NATO, I would like to emphasise, and is not going to become NATO,” he added.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is an inter-governmental military alliance, constituting 28 member states across North America and Europe.
Ivanov said the SCO was primarily a regional economic organisation. “Now it is regional taking into account China and India. That is quite the region,” Ivanov said, adding, “Essentially, it is a global organisation, of course.”
Ivanov said the world “really needs a new modern polycentric architecture”. “BRICS is actively discussing it… not only when getting together,” he added.
The chief of Russia’s presidential administration pointed out that for the three consecutive years leaders of BRICS member states — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — gather before the G20 summit. “The BRICS five gathers and discusses what it will do in the framework of the summit of the 20,” he said.
Ivanov did not agree with the assumption that the world is on the threshold of a new Yalta conference, which established the post-World War II world order. “Yalta-2 cannot be done, if it is not what our Western partners really want,” he said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation brings together Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status, while Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.