SCO SUMMIT: INDIA "WATCHING AND WAITING" ON THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 003905

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS ENRG MARR CH KZ KG TX TI UZ
IR, MG, IN
SUBJECT: SCO SUMMIT: INDIA "WATCHING AND WAITING" ON THE
SIDELINES

REF: A. NEW DELHI 3692


B. IIR 6 844 0795 07

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Classified By: Acting PolCouns Atul Keshap for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Following the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) Director for Eurasia Sandeep Arya and Under
Secretary L. Savithri told PolOff Aug. 23 that the Government

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of India (GOI) was not interested in seeking full membership
in the organization, but was keen to have a more defined role
for observers in the SCO. The GOI was interested in
participating in SCO projects related to economic
cooperation, the financial sector, energy, transportation,
and infrastructure, according to Arya. India was not invited
to participate in the joint military demonstration which
followed the SCO, asserted Arya, and the exercises had "no
bearing on our security," he added. Savithri, who attended
the summit along with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
(MPNG) Murli S. Deora and MEA Joint Secretary for Eurasia
Jaimini Bhagwati, observed that it had garnered no concrete
proposals, but gave Afghanistan the opportunity to present
itself as a "bridge state." Arya reiterated that India had
no plans to start a military base in Tajikistan, and said the
subject had not been raised at the summit. The GOI is eager
to appear uneager, keeping an eye on its neighbors --
especially China -- via the vehicle of the SCO. END SUMMARY.

India Not Interested in SCO Membership...
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2. (C) Unlike Pakistan, which stated publicly that it sought
membership status in the SCO, India was not interested in
obtaining membership in the organization, MEA Director for
Eurasia Sandeep Arya told PolOff Aug. 23. India's
involvement in the SCO was driven by its desire to "know what
is happening in our neighborhood," emphasized Arya. As
observers, India's participation in the SCO summit was
minimal, restricted only to its statement at the plenary
session, a lunch and the closing reception, said Arya. Asked
if Iran had expressed an interest in becoming an SCO member,
Arya replied that it had not stated so publicly, and that he
was not aware of any private discussions with the Iranians on
the subject of membership.

...But Waits for Observer Role to Be Spelled Out
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3. (C) India is "waiting and watching" from the sidelines
for now as it waits for the observer role to be defined and
"spelled out," stated MEA Under Secretary for Eurasia, L.
Savithri, who had attended the summit as part of India's
delegation with MPNG Murli S. Deora and MEA Joint Secretary
for Eurasia Jaimini Bhagwati. Arya indicated that India
would like to be more proactive in the organization,
lamenting that observers have only a ceremonial role in the
SCO at present, and underlining that observers had no input
in the Bishkek Declaration document. India would consider
involvement in projects as observers, especially in the areas
of economic cooperation, the financial sector, energy,
transportation and infrastructure, suggested Arya.

SCO Joint Military Exercise "Has No Bearing On Our Security"
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4. (C) No observers had been invited to participate in the
joint military demonstration which SCO forces conducted
following the summit, asserted Arya, maintaining that there
had been no question of Indian participation. Asked what the
GOI's reaction to the military exercises was, Arya responded
that they had no bearing on Indian security, and therefore
the Indian government had no reaction to them.


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"Big Show," But No Concrete Proposals
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5. (C) Turning to deliverables from the Bishkek summit,
Savithri indicated that the so-called "energy club" had
discussed energy issues, but had made no headway in terms of
concrete proposals nor modalities to effectively tap into
Central Asia's energy resources. She described the summit
as "a big show," and expressed frustration that the entire
summit was conducted in Chinese and/or Russian, complaining
that translations took a long time to be produced and were
low in quality.

Afghanistan Presenting Itself as a "Bridge State"
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6. (C) Arya noted that President Karzai, in his second
appearance at an SCO summit, had done his best to present
Afghanistan as a "bridge state," linking Eastern and Central
Asia to Pakistan and India. Arya compared Afghanistan's role
in the SCO to its newfound role in SAARC, pointing out that
all members and observers of the SCO have a keen interest in
a stable Afghanistan, especially India. Summit speakers had
been careful to avoid the word "extremism" in their speeches,
but themes such as security cooperation, counterterrorism,
anti-narcotics, and terrorism had figured heavily in the
opening statements, Arya observed.

MEA Reiterates - No Military Base in Tajikistan
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7. (C) When PolOff raised persistent rumors in the media
that the Indian government was planning to operate a military
base of operations in Ayni, Tajikistan, Arya dismissed the
concept, reiterating what the MEA has repeatedly maintained -
that such statements had no basis in reality, and that the
Indians had only been involved in runway repair work in Ayni.
The subject was not raised at the summit, he said.

Comment: Eager to Appear Uneager
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8. (C) India wants to keep its foot firmly in the door of
SCO without sending signals to the rest of the world
(especially China) that it has more than a "friendly"
interest in the goings-on of its neighbors. While content to
maintain its status as "observer only" in the organization,
India wants to see more progress in real regional
cooperation, particularly those with an economic emphasis.
New Delhi continues to see the SCO as China's Central Asia
club. Therefore, it will publicly pay lip service to the
group's value, while using its observership to keep a
watchful eye on China. End comment.
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