ASTANA: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Thursday for the second time in as many months as they travel to Astana for a session of an international group founded to counter West.
Xi and Putin last got together in May when the Russian leader visited China to underscore their close partnership that opposes the US-led order and seeks to promote a more “multipolar” world. Both leaders are attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit Astana.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The SCO was set up in 2001 by Russia and China to discuss security concerns in Central Asia and the region, other members are Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
Who’s attending this year summit?
Besides President Xi and President Putin, summit host President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, other leaders there will be Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, and President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan. President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus will also take part in the SCO as his country is becoming a full member.
Iran’s acting President Mohammad Mokhbar will attend the summit. Other guests of the summit include President Erdogan of Turkiye and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. UN chief António Guterres is likely to attend the SCO summit.
What are their targets?
Western media claims that President Putin wants to show that Moscow is not isolated over Western sanctions from the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Reports said that the meeting is another opportunity for Xi and Putin to demonstrate the strong personal relations in their “strategic partnership” as they face soaring tensions with the West.
President Erdogan could utilize the meeting to hold talks with Russian Putin, who has postponed several visits to Ankara. The leader of the NATO member has balanced ties with both Moscow and Kyiv since the war started.
