SCO SUMMIT DEMARCHE: INDIA SEES ITSELF MERELY AS

S E C R E T NEW DELHI 002175 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2018 TAGS: MARR MOPS PGOV PREL AFIN IN SUBJECT: SCO SUMMIT DEMARCHE: INDIA SEES ITSELF MERELY AS OBSERVER REF: STATE 82513 Classified By: Pol-Mil Officer Joel Ehrendreich for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (S) In response to reftel demarche, PolMilOff delivered talking points to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Americas Division Director Vani Rao and Eurasia Director Sandeep Arya. On August 8 Arya replied that the Indian government noted our points and shared our broader goals, particularly the commitment to Afghanistan's reconstruction. It did not believe, however, that it was in a position to be of much influence on the issue of military access in Central Asia, and in particular Manas Air Base. As an SCO observer, Arya explained, India is not a participant in meetings where such decisions would be made and is not party to discussions such as on the wording of joint statements. He noted that India usually doesn't even see SCO joint statements prior to release to the general public. ¶2. (C) Arya reported India has yet to decide what specific delegation it intended to send to Dushanbe, but noted that in the past India has been represented at the Cabinet Minister level and confirmed it would be at the same level again this year. In terms of goals, Arya reiterated that observers hold very little influence outside of their plenary session remarks, and suggested that India's intent is primarily to stay close to developments taking place in the organization. WHITE