MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Vladimir Putin highlighted the SCO’s role in Eurasian security, Israel may annex the West Bank, and Donald Trump may involve private military companies in Ukraine. These stories topped Tuesday's headlines across Russia.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will help lay the foundations for the creation of a new security system in Eurasia, Vladimir Putin said on September 1 at a meeting of the Council of Heads of the organization's member states in China. Today, the status of this venue is noticeably growing, including due to the expanding economy, with the total volume already approaching $30 trillion. The expansion of the association is also possible: some leaders are actively advocating for bringing in new members, and applications from ten countries are already being considered. The schedule of the head of state on this day included a series of bilateral meetings, in particular, with Narendra Modi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both leaders are expecting Vladimir Putin on an official visit and express their willingness to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
However, at least publicly, the organization has not offered any mediation in settling the recent Indian-Pakistani conflict (between its member states) or, for example, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict (dialogue partners). The SCO is still seeking the niche where it may be helpful to member states, Andrey Vinogradov, deputy director and leading researcher of the Center for Chinese Economy and Social Studies at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
