Russian defense minister warns of new ‘hotbeds of instability’

Numerous "hotbeds of instability" are emerging around the world, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting of defense chiefs from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in China, he warned that these trouble areas are also being created within the SCO and along "its perimeter," according to a Defense Ministry statement.

The SCO comprises 10 member states: China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

Belousov pointed to Afghanistan as the main source of transnational crime and terrorist threats in the SCO region, citing the spread of "terrorist ideologies" from the Middle East and the flow of militants into Afghanistan.

"The situation in the Middle East has sharply worsened," he said, adding that efforts in the Asia-Pacific to form "closed, anti-Chinese and anti-Russian blocs" have had a "destructive" effect on regional stability.

- 'SUCCESSFUL OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS' IN UKRAINE

Belousov claimed that Russia's Armed Forces are conducting "successful offensive operations" in Ukraine, and accused Kyiv and its partners of relying on "terrorist acts" as it faces "the inevitability of defeat."

He said European countries, by supplying Ukraine with weapons and mercenaries, are "prolonging military actions" and increasing the risk of destabilization, "including in Europe itself."

"Russia has repeatedly expressed and continues to express its readiness to resolve the conflict," Belousov said.

Belousov also called for stronger defense cooperation within the SCO to resist attempts by "unfriendly forces" to undermine long-standing ties among member states.

The SCO, an inter-governmental organization, was established in 2001.

All 10 member states' defense ministers are attending the two-day summit in Qingdao, which began Wednesday.