Russia Vows to Protect SCO’s Role in Eurasia and Urges Charter Changes

Overview

• At a Moscow meeting Friday with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia will do everything to stop attempts to weaken the group’s role in Eurasian affairs.
• Lavrov said the SCO is seeing such efforts now and warned that Moscow intends to block moves that try to reduce the organization’s influence.
• He called for fundamental decisions already approved by SCO heads of state to be written into the charter and related documents during the organization’s anniversary year.
• Lavrov pledged that Moscow will support the SCO Secretariat’s work and will closely consider its assessments as it carries out the leaders’ directives.
• He described the SCO’s scope as unique because it spans security, trade, transport, social policy, and logistics under the Greater Eurasian Partnership, and he said countries outside the region are active in Central Asia and elsewhere.