BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan: Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping and more than a dozen other leaders will gather in Kyrgyzstan on Monday (Aug 31) for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional bloc that seeks to be a counterinfluence to the West.
The group, which is celebrating its 25-year anniversary, brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian countries and Moscow-allied Belarus.
Arriving in Bishkek on Sunday, Xi hailed what he described as a “golden period” in relations with Central Asian Kyrgyzstan, as China deepens its influence in the historically Russia-dominated region.
Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West.
It takes place four-and-a-half years into Moscow’s Ukraine invasion and six months into the war between Washington and Tehran. Iran will be represented by its president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian as well as India’s Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif are due to take part in a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov.
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to attend, though his country is not a formal member.
Putin is also expected to hold separate bilateral talks with Iran’s Pezeshkian and China’s Xi, among other leaders, Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov said.
Russia and Iran – among the most sanctioned states in the world – have massively deepened their military and economic ties since Moscow invaded Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has warned Moscow and Beijing against arming Iran.
Putin’s meeting with Pezeshkian comes days after the CIA’s director John Ratcliffe made a rare trip to Moscow, with US media speculating he could have discussed Ukraine and Iran with his Russian counterparts.
The SCO has historically focused on economic issues, but has gained momentum in recent years under Moscow’s and Beijing’s leadership.
On top of its 10 members, it now has 15 “dialogue partners”, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It also has two observer countries: Afghanistan and Mongolia.
The SCO’s founding declaration says the group is “not an alliance directed against other states”.
But Putin and Xi have repeatedly made anti-Western speeches during its summits.
At last year’s gathering, Putin accused Western countries of provoking the Ukraine war, while Xi denounced “acts of intimidation”, referring to US-Chinese tensions.
