Azerbaijan has accused Russia of helping India to block the nation’s bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Azerbaijani pro-government APA news agency reported on September 5, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the sources, Azerbaijan’s SCO membership bid was discussed during political consultations between Russia and India, and an agreement was reached. Russia reportedly allowed India to take the lead in the process, while itself remaining in the background. According to local media, India blocked Azerbaijan’s accession on September 1, in a move that “runs counter to the principles of multilateral diplomacy and the Shanghai spirit," which stipulates that bilateral disputes should not be raised on multilateral platforms. In response to India’s hampering Azerbaijan’s accession, Pakistan blocked Armenia’s bid to join the SCO, the report said. India rejected Baku’s claims of blocking the nation's bid for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), stating that the “matter continues to be under consideration.” “Due to time constraint, a decision on the issue could not be taken by Member States in Tianjin. The matter continues to be under consideration by the group," Foreign Ministery Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on September 5.
Earlier, on September 1, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused India of taking “revenge” against his country over Baku’s close ties with Pakistan. Aliyev made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the side-lines of the 25th SCO Council of Heads of State Summit in the Tianjin, China, according to the Azerbaijani presidency. In turn, Sharif thanked Azerbaijan for supporting Islamabad during the April-May military confrontation with India. In recent years, Azerbaijan and Pakistan have deepened ties in defence, trade and regional security.
