Russia on Thursday, 12 November, backed India’s assertion that Pakistan should not raise bilateral issues at platforms like Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Russia said that it goes against the basic principle of the grouping.
These groupings are focused on multilateral cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the virtual SCO summit on Tuesday hit out Pakistan for making repeated attempts to unnecessarily bring bilateral issues to the SCO in violation of the grouping's foundational principles.
PM Modi did not name Pakistan directly but his comments were seen in an apparent reference to Pakistan’s attempt to raise the Kashmir issue.
When asked about the bilateral matter during a news briefing, Russia said:
“This is part of the SCO charter not to bring bilateral issues into the agenda (of the SCO) and we made it clear to all member states that it should be avoided for the sake of the progress of multilateral cooperation.”Roman Babushkin, Russian Deputy Chief of Mission
Babushkin added, “We should not divert our attention to bilateral disputes, we don’t interfere in these bilateral disputes,” reported Hindustan Times.
On India-China Issue
Babushkin, however, said that the border tension between India and China amid global turbulence could lead to further regional instability in Eurasia.
Without naming the United States, Babushkin added that the friction between the two countries may be “misused by other players in their geopolitical purpose.”
“Russia is naturally concerned over tensions between India and China, and that it is “very important” for the two Asian neighbours to engage more in “constructive dialogue,” Babushkin said during a news briefing, reported The Indian Express.
When he was questioned about whether the SCO and BRICS groups can defuse the tension between the two nations, the Russian diplomat said “the groupings have developed mechanisms for positive engagements,” the report added.
(With inputs from PTI, Hindustan Times and The Indian Express.)
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