'West conspiring to provoke other nations into military standoff with Russia and China'
"In a bid to maintain global dominance, the US and its allies have severely eroded the global security architecture," Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu said, adding, "At their initiative, the process of breaking and dismantling key arms control and confidence-building agreements was set in motion."
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FollowRussia on Friday accused the United States and West of planning to provoke other countries into a military standoff with Russia and China.
Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Delhi, Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu said, "Today, Washington and its collaborators are implementing their strategic plan to provoke other countries into a military standoff with Russia and China. The conflict in Ukraine serves as a striking confirmation of this criminal policy. Its actual goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, create a threat for China and preserve [the US’] monopoly position in the world."
His remarks came amid the ongoing border standoff between the militaries of India and China along the line of actual control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
He also stated that their attempts to influence Russia's partners to isolate it and compromise its leadership are failing.
In the backdrop of Russia's military operation against Ukraine, the Russian minister said that a large-scale information campaign has been launched to compromise the Russian leadership and its policies.
"In a bid to maintain global dominance, the US and its allies have severely eroded the global security architecture," he said, adding, "At their initiative, the process of breaking and dismantling key arms control and confidence-building agreements was set in motion."
"At first, Washington unilaterally terminated the US-Soviet Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, refused to ratify the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, then withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and Shorter-Range Missiles and the Treaty on Open Skies," he said.
"Today, this destructive behaviour is manifested in a desire to reshape the system of inter-state relations through the creation of subordinate regional alliances. In the process, independent states are under unprecedented pressure, using blatant blackmail, threats, colour revolutions, and coups d'état, and spreading gross disinformation. All this has long been a hallmark of the West," he added.
"In order to contain China, a front is forming. The tension around the so-called Taiwan problem are purposely escalated, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea are being heated," he further said.
Besides India and Russia, other SCO member states, including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting. All ministers attended the meeting in-person, except Pakistan’s one.
From Pakistan's side, Special Assistant to Pakistan PM on Defence Affairs Malik Ahmed Khan attended the meeting virtually.
The meeting was also attended by the SCO secretary general, the director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, and the defence ministers of Belarus and Iran, holding the status of SCO observers.
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