Updated 3:09 p.m. Moscow Time
DUSHANBE, September 12 (RIA Novosti) – Any country’s attempt to enhance its missile shield in an unbalanced manner will undermine global security and stability, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders said in a joint declaration Friday.
"Unilateral and unlimited measures to enhance missile defense systems by a state or a group of state will damage international security and strategic balance," the heads of state said in the declaration.
"National security of one state should not be achieved to the detriment of the security of others."
The missile defense system in Europe, which NATO and the United States say is aimed at countering threats from North Korea and Iran, has been a particular source of friction in US-Russian relations for years.
Russia maintains that Washington has failed to give Moscow legally binding guarantees that the shield will not be used against it.
SCO leaders have called to deal with missile defense related issues "with the participation of all the interested states through political and diplomatic efforts," the document said.
SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and military organization founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are observer members.
