A tripartite negotiation table is a very fruitful arrangement, Mr. Lavrov said in an opening address. "The format allows us to compare our opinions on regional developments and on the world's key issues with due consideration for what our three countries are doing to cope with global problems." The Russian minister called to step up team efforts to come at shared stances on such problems.
The present conference is of essential importance, Mr. Li joined in. The format is certainly fruitful, India's Foreign Minister also pointed out.
Moscow is encouraging an improvement of Indian-Pakistani relations, Sergei Lavrov said to the media after the event. Those relations were outside today's agenda, he added. "Be that as it may, I have every reason to reassure you that we are supporting positive processes underway between those two countries."
An Indian-Pakistani dialogue has been going on for several months now. It will further proceed. Eight or nine conferences at varying levels have been scheduled for the next few months, Mr. Singh said to newsmen, in his turn. Thus, Pakistan's Prime Minister has been invited to visit India next month, and preparations are on for many more high-level contacts.
Prospects may come under consideration for observer countries on the Shanghai Six. Sergei Lavrov does not rule it out. Several countries in the region are displaying interest in the work of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, he remarked to newsmen.
"Only few formal applications have come up, but we are sure that opportunities for other countries to join in as observers may be considered at a particular stage." What matters most now, however, is to make the Shanghai Six's regional structures show their worth in full. The Organisation is to shift to practical teamwork to tackle regional problems, said Russia's Foreign Minister.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation brings together China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its officially announced goals concern confidence building, and stepping up mutual friendship and goodneighbourly contacts. The Organisation promotes its member countries' commerce and fruitful economic, research, technological, cultural and other partnership, and team efforts to keep up regional peace, stability and security.
India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have said they are eager to join. True, the SCO Charter envisages enlargement prospects. It, however, does not intend to take more countries in quite soon, though it intends eventually to elaborate patterns for adopting observers and associated members.
Sergei Lavrov offered his country for venue of a nearest Russo-Sino-Indian foreign-ministerial conference, due next year.
