ASTANA, April 26. /TASS/. The member-states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should ensure the association's resistance to external destructive influences, including attempts to trigger color revolutions, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said.
"It is necessary to ensure the organization's resistance to attempts to undermine its cohesion and plots to provoke color revolutions and crises in the member states from outside. It is necessary to jointly resist the intention of our enemies to destroy the established long-standing ties among the SCO countries, to ensure optimal consideration of the national interests of each member state and to continue further rapprochement," Shoigu said, speaking at a meeting of SCO defense ministers on Friday.
He added that "in this context, it seems logical to steadily pair the potential of the organization with the capabilities of other international structures on our continent in the field of security."
"The main emphasis should be placed on the development of military contacts between the SCO and the CSTO," Shoigu said.
SCO as cornerstone of new multipolar system
The Russian defense minister pointed to another key task he sees in "strengthening the role of the SCO as one of the cornerstones of the new multipolar international system, as well as a model of interstate relations based on equality and mutual respect."
"The implementation of agreements reached by the heads of state of the organization's member states remains a key element of this work," Shoigu stressed.
"Military cooperation holds a special place in interstate relations on the SCO platform," he stated, noting that it was necessary to emphasize close cooperation by defense ministries and sustainable information exchange for timely response to terrorist and other possible threats.
"In this regard, joint operational and combat training activities are of particular importance," he said. "We need to expand the geographical scope and scenarios of joint exercises, strengthen their information coverage and improve the training of the forces involved. We are ready to share our experience and advanced methods of combat operations during these events.
Shoigu also suggested inviting "representatives of other regional associations, primarily the CSTO and CIS, as well as friendly countries" to participate in the SCO defense ministries' activities, especially in operational and combat training.
He stressed that the implementation of the proposals mentioned at the meeting "will ensure the steady onward development of the SCO and the maintenance of stability in the organization's space.