Russia asks neighbours for support over Georgia conflict

China and other members of an Asian security group were today being asked to sign a declaration of support today for Russia’s role in the Georgia conflict.

Moscow’s plea at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tajikistan may raise fears in Western capitals of the emergence of a competing strategic alliance to Nato forming around Russia.

The SCO members, however, were expected to stop short of endorsing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s recognition of the independence claims of two breakaway Georgian regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The Kremlin’s move has met with strong opposition in Europe and the US, but Russia hopes to counterbalance the tensions with the West with strengthened ties with China and the former Soviet states of Central Asia.

Mr Medvedev and other leaders of SCO member states – China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – held an unofficial joint meeting at Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s presidential residence yesterday, but no details of the talks were forthcoming.

Earlier in the day, the Russian leader discussed the situation in Georgia’s breakaway regions with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Mr Medvedev’s spokeswoman Natalia Timakova said.

It’s not clear how successful Russia’s bid for support has been so far. China seems cool on the idea of backing South Ossetian autonomy and the Central Asian states may be reluctant to strain their relations with the West.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang was quoted by state news agency Xinhua as saying “the situation in the region... should be resolved in dialogue”.

China has traditionally been wary of supporting separatist movements, mindful of its own problems with Tibet and what it describes as radicals seeking to establish a Muslim state in the western territory of Xinjiang.

In Central Asia, Kazakhstan enjoys significant Western investment in its rich hydrocarbon sector and impoverished Kyrgyzstan hosts a US air base on its territory for an annual return of €100m in the form of aid and rent.

Uzbekistan came under severe Western criticism after the government’s violent crackdown on a 2005 uprising in the eastern town of Andijan, but the country has recently made tentative moves to mend its ties with the US.

The SCO was created in 2001 as a forum for its members to improve regional coordination on terrorism and border security.

Western observers have long suggested the SCO was intended as a direct counterweight to Nato and part of an effort to dilute US influence in the region - a suggestion senior organisation officials have rejected.

The Dushanbe summit was also attended by Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has lobbied vigorously but unsuccessfully for his country to join the SCO.

Iran has observer status in the bloc, but its failure to secure membership will offer some reassurance that the organisation is not seeking direct confrontation with the West.

Other observer countries present at the summit included India, Pakistan, Mongolia and Afghanistan, whose delegation was headed by President Hamid Karzai.