Moscow: Russian President to meet his Chinese, Turkish, and Iranian counterparts at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan

Moscow, August 28 (KUNA) -- Moscow announced on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with his Chinese, Turkish, and Iranian counterparts, Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Masoud Pezeshkian, during the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit hosted by Kyrgyzstan on Monday and Tuesday. Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov as saying that these meetings will take place as part of a series of bilateral talks that President Putin will hold with the leaders of the participating countries, during which the attendees will discuss ways to enhance cooperation, particularly in the fields of security, drug control, and logistics. Ushakov clarified that Putin will discuss the “Power of Siberia 2” gas pipeline project with Xi Jinping during their talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, while his discussions with Erdogan will cover developments in Ukraine and the Black Sea. He added that Putin will also hold separate meetings on the sidelines of the summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to discuss bilateral relations with their respective countries. He noted that member-state leaders will sign around 20 documents following the summit, including the Bishkek Declaration. Founded in 2001, the SCO comprises Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and focuses primarily on security and combating “terrorism,” as well as enhancing cooperation among member states in the fields of economy, transport, and energy. On a separate note, Ushakov stated that Moscow has no information regarding the possibility of resuming negotiations with Ukraine and the United States in September. In another development, Ushakov announced that Putin will deliver a speech at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 3, and will hold talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on the sidelines of the session, where Subianto will be the guest of honor. (End) D.A.N./M.A.A.