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SCO slams unilateral actions on missile defense plans

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-16 00:22

ASTANA - Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries on Wednesday criticized unilateral actions on missile defense.

"The member states believe that unilateral and unlimited build-up of missile defense by one state or by a small group of states can cause damage to strategic stability and international security," said a joint declaration issued after the SCO summit in Astana.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters the SCO member states' opposition to unilateral actions on missile defense is a consolidated position.

When asked whether Russia was behind the criticism over missile defense in the SCO declaration, Lavrov said "No one talked anyone into it."

"The Astana declaration of the SCO summit mentions the global, not European, missile defense system," Lavrov said. "The global missile-defense system that the United States is creating also covers the Southeast Asian region."

Russia has been an active opponent of US-backed plans to create a missile shield in Europe, seeing it as a potential threat to its security.

The SCO groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India are observers. Sri Lanka and Belarus are dialogue partners.