Putin and Xi Jinping Meet on Sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, met on Monday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. The meeting, reported by Agence France-Presse via Mehr News Agency, focused on the robust development of Moscow-Beijing relations across various sectors.
A significant point of discussion was visa-free travel. President Putin indicated Russia’s readiness to cooperate with Beijing and formalize this measure if deemed beneficial by China. Russian media also confirmed Putin’s meeting with Xi Jinping in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, upon the Russian President’s arrival.
The SCO summits have previously served as a platform for both leaders to articulate their vision for a multipolar world and to present a united front against Western influence. Leaders from Russia, China, Turkey, India, and Iran converged in Kyrgyzstan for the two-day SCO summit, an event aiming to counterbalance Western influence.
The SCO, a regional bloc encompassing Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian nations, and Belarus, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Among the attendees in Bishkek are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
