The leaders of Russia, China and four Central Asian states sketched out plans to put energy cooperation at the heart of their mutual security during a summit on Thursday with anti-Western overtones.

The meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek was heavy on symbolism, not least in inviting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a guest of honour. Resource-rich Central Asia is seen by the United States and Europe as a promising alternative energy source to Russia, while China is seeking oil and gas in the ex-Soviet region and Moscow wants to maintain its grip on export routes.
The SCO states, which two years ago called on the United States to set a date for pulling troops out of Central Asia, are holding joint military exercises to coincide with the summit, prompting leading Russian daily Izvestia to dub the SCO "the anti-NATO".

In the most direct barb against the United States, Ahmadinejad said US plans for a missile defence shield "concern most of the continent, both Asia and the SCO members". “There are still some countries used to speaking the language of force," he said, according to a Russian translation.  Moscow opposes a US plan to place parts of the proposed missile defence shield near Russia's border in Eastern Europe.

At the summit, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also agreed on greater energy cooperation and said they wanted to play a bigger role in helping Afghanistan and in fighting drugs trafficking.
“The energy sector plays an important role as a basis for stable economic growth and security and SCO members pay strong attention to strengthening cooperation in this sphere,” a declaration said.