'US missile defence to adversely affect C Asia'

Moscow, July 9: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today warned that the deployment of the US national missile shield in Europe can adversely affect the Central Asian region.

''We see that consequences of the unilateral action will affect Central Asia and we should take into account not only the interests of the member states, but also the interests of the observers in this organisation,'' Mr Lavrov said at the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

''We pay much attention to the international security problems and we make concrete decisions. I am convinced that the proposal of the Russian President (for the joint use of the Gabala radar station with the US) indicates the need for a comprehensive approach to this issue,'' Itar-Tass news agency quoted him, as saying.

Talking about the missile defence, the Foreign Minister noted that it was necessary to take into account the opinions of other states. The SCO was an organisation that formed ''not artificially, but naturally'', he said, adding ''It has been formed on the basis of objective interests of the states that make it.'' Mr Lavrov said further work of the SCO would be not for the sake of development of the organisation but for the stability in the Central Asian region and in the interests of the member countries.

The SCO was created a decade ago to deal with Islamic extremism and other security threats in Central Asia. It includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as members with India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia as observers.

UNI

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