Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) – Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping and more than a dozen other leaders will gather in Kyrgyzstan Monday for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional bloc that seeks to be a counterinfluence to the West.
Issued on: 31/08/2026 - 04:10
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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.
