SCO's Role in Regional Stability Prospects of Its Expansion I
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SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion i SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion ii SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion iii SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion iv CONTENTS Acknowledgements Acronyms Introduction 1 Welcome Address Ambassador (R) Sohail Amin 12 Opening Remarks Mr. Christian J. Hegemer 15 Opening Statement Mr. Mirzosharif Jalolov 19 Inaugural Address Mr. Mohammad Akram Zaki 20 Concluding Address H.E. Mr. Sartaj Aziz 25 Vote of Thanks Ambassador (R) Sohail Amin 30 Concluding Remarks Mr. Kristof Duwaerts 32 CHAPTER 1 SCO Secretariat Perspective Mr. Mirzosharif Jalolov 34 CHAPTER 2 Strategic Prudence: The European Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Mr. Thomas Renard 38 CHAPTER 3 Perspective of Central Asian Countries on SCO Ambassador Nurlan Aitmurzaev 52 SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion v CHAPTER 4 Pakistan’s Perspective on SCO Dr. Saifur Rehman 57 CHAPTER 5 Prospects of SCO’s Role in Afghanistan Beyond 2014 Senator Arifullah Pashtun 71 CHAPTER 6 Expanding SCO for Regional Stability: Pakistani Perspective Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal 76 CHAPTER 7 Rise of China and her Prospective Role in Regional Stability Mr. Wang Shida 89 CHAPTER 8 Pakistan’s Contribution in the ‘War on Terror’ (WOT) Dr. Shabana Fayyaz 103 CHAPTER 9 Russia’s Counter Terrorism Strategy: Lessons Learned Dr. Ivan Safranchuk 124 CHAPTER 10 Prospects of Economic Cooperation in SCO Region Yevgeniy Khon 139 CHAPTER 11 Pakistan as Trade and Energy Corridor vis-à-vis SCO Dr. Shabbir Ahmad 160 CHAPTER 12 Power Projects of the Republic of Tajikistan as a Factor of Development of SCO Mr.Vafo Niyatbekov Alibekovick 179 Contributors 187 Index 192 IPRI Publications 196 SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion vi Acknowledgements This volume is based on papers presented at the two-day international conference ―SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability and Prospects of its Expansion‖ held on August 28-29, 2013 at Marriott Hotel, Islamabad. The Conference was jointly organized by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation, (HSF) Islamabad. The organisers of the Conference are especially thankful to Mr. Kristof Duwaerts, Resident Representative, HSF, Islamabad, for his co- operation and sharing the financial expense of the Conference. For the papers presented in this volume, we are grateful to all participants from Pakistan and abroad, as well as the chairpersons of the different sessions, who took time out from their busy schedules to preside over the proceedings. We are also thankful to the scholars, students and professionals, who accepted our invitation to participate in the Conference. The successful completion of the Conference owes much to the untiring efforts and logistical support provided by the staff of the IPRI and the HSF. Finally, our thanks are due to all those whom it would not be possible to thank individually for their help in making the Conference a success. SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion vii Acronyms ADB Asian Development Bank ANA Afghan National Army ANP Afghan National Police ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations ATA Anti-Terrorism Act CAREC Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation CES Common Economic Space CIA Central Intelligence Agency CIS Commonwealth of Independent States CSTO Collective Security Treaty Organisation EAEC Euro Asian Economic Community EEC European Economic Community EC European Commission ECO Economic Cooperation Organization ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESR Education Sector Reforms FATA Federally Administrated Tribal Area GDP Gross Domestic Product GNP Gross National Product GWOT Global War on Terror HSF Hanns Seidel Foundation ISAF International Security Assistance Force IMU Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan IPRI Islamabad Policy Research Institute ISPR Inter-Services Public Relations ISI Inter Services Intelligence KKH Karakoram Highway NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation OEF Operation Enduring Freedom RATS Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure RCD Regional Cooperation for Development SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion viii SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SCO Shanghai Cooperation Organisation TAPI Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline TTP Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan UN United Nations UNODC UN Office on Drugs and Crimes WTO World Trade Oganisation SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion 1 Introduction Ambassador (R) Sohail Amin Mr. Muhammad Munir and Mr.Usman Ghani his volume is based on the papers, presentations and speeches made at T the two-day International Conference on SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability: Prospects of its Expansion jointly organised by Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Germany, at Marriott Hotel, Islamabad on 28-29 August 2013. Notable scholars, academicians and policy-makers from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Germany, Belgium and SCO‘s Deputy Secretary General participated and shared their views on different aspects of the organisation‘s role in regional stability with special focus on prospects of its expansion and likely benefits for regional peace and prosperity. Since its inception in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has become a regional force and has been gaining importance in Asia‘s security dynamics. Its six member states cover a territory hosting more than one-quarter of the world‘s population. Two of its founding members — Russia and China — are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The forum is not an alliance directed against any other state or region. Over the last decade, its activities have expanded to include military cooperation, intelligence sharing, and counterterrorism drills in order to combat the ‗three evil forces‘ — separatism, extremism and terrorism. In recent years, the organisation has also been attending to economic issues, in particular concerning energy security which is a matter of great importance not only for its members but for the whole region. With the observer nations — Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Mongolia and Iran — gaining full member status, the SCO might well evolve into an even more important player in world politics and go beyond its regional reach. Meanwhile, the region is facing multifarious challenges. The international troops will be withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2014 after 13 years of their turbulent presence in the country. The withdrawal is not expected to bring any relief to the region. In fact it is feared it might put serious strains on the security situation in the region with major stake holders — China, Pakistan, Russia, India and Iran — pursuing their varied interests in Afghanistan. US withdrawal is not the only worry; there are also threats to national sovereignty from terrorists, extremists, and, in places, SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability Prospects of its Expansion 2 from separatist elements. Moreover, major states of the region have territorial disputes awaiting resolution. Pakistan has for long been trying to become an SCO member state. It believes its membership will enable it to diversify its foreign policy and enable it to play a more effective role in the stability of the region. With the development of Gwadar Port, Pakistan can become an energy and trade corridor for SCO countries. SCO member countries are also engaged in tackling terrorism through its institutionalized platform. Pakistan‘s inclusion as full member could help the former coordinate its efforts against terrorism at the regional level. On the other hand, in order to secure long- term economic growth, economic ties will have to be forged and new markets explored, particularly in the area of energy. In order to highlight these imperatives, the proceedings of the international conference on SCO‘s Role in Regional Stability: Prospects of its Expansion are now being published in the form of a book. The proceedings of the Conference are briefly mentioned below: In his welcome address, Ambassador (R) Sohail Amin greeted the speakers, guests and audience of the two-day international conference. While highlighting the importance of the topic of the conference, he said that the timing of the conference was important as it heralded the SCO summit scheduled on September 13, 2013. He described SCO as an effective instrument in maintaining regional stability and stated that Pakistan shared SCO‘s concerns about the three evils of terrorism, extremism and separatism. By getting full membership of the organisation Pakistan would be able to contribute more fully and positively to the realization of SCO objectives. In his opening remarks, Mr. Christian J. Hegemer briefed the participants about the achievements and activities of HSF undertaken in collaborating with think tanks, government departments and the civil society in Pakistan. He said that the expanded SCO would represent half of the world‘s population while making it the biggest regional body in this respect. He referred to article 1 of the charter of the SCO which defines goals and tasks of the organisation and described these as in harmony with HSF‘s goals and objectives. He hoped that SCO‘s expansion to South Asia will be a harbinger of peace and stability in the region. In his opening statement, H.E. Mirzosharif Jalolov stated that SCO attached particular importance to such conferences