Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan for regional security and defence talks and a series of bilateral meetings, including with the leaders of China and Turkey.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday for a state visit, during which he would attend a meeting of the Shanghai Alliance countries in the Kazakh capital Astana.
The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) is made up of nine countries, uniting about half of the world’s population. Its permanent members are this year’s host Kazakhstan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and, since last year, Iran.
The SCO, a forum established by China and Russia in 2001 to serve as a gatekeeper of security in the Eurasia region, will meet for a summit on 3-4 July in the Kazakh capital Astana. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected in Moscow this month, will not attend. However, his country will be represented by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The leaders of the SCO member countries will discuss the current state and prospects for further deepening multifaceted cooperation within the organization and improving its activities.
UN Secretary General António Guterres will also reportedly attend the meeting.
Russia stated on Tuesday that Putin would hold a series of bilateral talks, including with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
