Shanghai Cooperation Organization welcomes treaty on strategic offensive reductions

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization welcomes the conclusion of a new Russian-American treaty concerning major cuts in strategic offensive armaments and treats this move as a positive contribution to the drive for nuclear arms limitation. So runs a declaration of the SCO members, signed as a concluding document of the St.Petersburg summit.

The SCO countries believe that observance of the international regime of nuclear non-proliferation is one of the most important elements of peace and security both in Asia and the world over.

If all the countries join the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons as soon as possible while those that have not yet signed and ratified the treaty on universal nuclear test ban do this, strategic stability on all the levels will be consolidated, says the Declaration.

The SCO members approve of the establishment of zones free from nuclear weapons, including the initiative by the Republic of Uzbekistan to set up a nuclear-free zone in Central Asia. The conferees were emphatic of their respect and support for the nuclear-free status of Mongolia.

The Shanghai group has called for embarking on multilateral negotiations on preparation of a comprehensive agreement on non-placement of weapons in outer space, non-use of force or threat of force in relation to space objects.

The members of the SCO, pledging to act in accordance with UN principles, confirm the universal, indivisible, inter-dependent and inter-connected nature of all human rights as well as their obligations to observe human rights and basic freedoms.

The SCO countries consider peace and development as a basic guarantee of human rights and protest the use of dual standards in matters of human rights and interference in other states' internal affairs under the pretext of their defence, says the Declaration of the SCO members.