The leaders of Russia, China, Turkey, India and Iran were in Kyrgyzstan Monday for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which seeks to be a counterbalance to the West.The regional SCO bloc - which brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four central Asian countries and Belarus - is celebrating its 25-year anniversary.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Upon arrival in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, Russian President Vladimir Putin met China’s Xi Jinping, Russian media reported.Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West.Iran’s leader Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, India’s Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif were also in Bishkek.The summit takes place four-and-a-half years into Moscow’s Ukraine invasion and six months into the war between Washington and Tehran.Speaking after the first exchange of fire between the United States and Iran in a month, Iran’s Pezeshkian said continuing the war was not in Tehran’s interests.“We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region,” he told India’s Modi.Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian, Modi and Sharif are due to take part in a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov.Read more: