MOSCOW. June 23 (Interfax) - India's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) opens up new prospects for interaction between Russia and India, Russian Defense Minister Gen. of the Army Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission for military-technical cooperation.
"We welcome India's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This opens up new prospects for interaction," Shoigu said, adding that bilateral interaction between Russia and India has had the character of a privileged strategic partnership for many decades.
"Over these years, Russia and India have developed especially close and friendly ties, which stand out for their continuity and a very high level of trust. This was once again confirmed by the results of the meeting between President of the Russian Federation Mr. [Vladimir] Putin and Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi during the Russian-Indian summit in St. Petersburg on June 1," the Russian minister said.
The two leaders' regular trust-based meetings give a powerful impetus to the development of bilateral relations, including in defense issues, he said.
"Our countries' consolidated position has been having a stabilizing impact on the international situation," Shoigu said.
India and Pakistan became full-fledged members of the SCO at the organization's summit in the Kazakh capital Astana on June 9, when the leaders of the SCO's six member states (Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan) signed a document granting them this status.