Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, July 3rd, at a summit of an Eurasian security and defense alliance perceived by Moscow and Beijing as a tool to mitigate the influence wielded by the United States and its allies, Reuters reports on July 3rd.
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Russian and Chinese president have broadened the scope of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an alliance established in 2001 by Russia, China, and Central Asian nations, to incorporate India, Iran, and Pakistan, positioning it as a counterbalance to Western influence.
The Kremlin announced that Putin will engage in a series of bilateral meetings on Wednesday, July 3rd, during the SCO summit in the Kazakh capital, Astana. He is scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, and the leaders of Azerbaijan, Mongolia, and Pakistan, followed by an informal dinner hosted by Kazakh President Kassym – Jomart Tokayev.
India announced that PM Narendra Modi, expected in Moscow later this month, will not attend the summit. Instead, he will send Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Russia and China view the SCO, which addresses external security threats such as drug trafficking and aims to counter domestic instability, as a strategic platform to extend their influence across Asia.
The leaders of the SCO member countries will discuss the current state and prospects for further deepening multifaceted cooperation within the organisation and improving its activities,
-the Kremlin said in a statement.
Reuters and agencies