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Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and more than a dozen other world leaders are gathering in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional bloc increasingly positioned as a counterweight to Western influence.
The group is marking its 25th anniversary and brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian countries and Moscow-allied Belarus.
Xi arrived in Bishkek on Sunday and stated that relations with Kyrgyzstan are in a “golden period” as China deepens its influence in the historically Russia-dominated region.
Putin, Xi, push for multipolar world through SCO summits
Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West. The summit takes place four-and-a-half years into the war in Ukraine and six months into the US war on Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will represent Tehran at the summit. Pezeshkian, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is set to attend a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to attend, despite Türkiye not being a full member of the organization. Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov said Putin is scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with Pezeshkian and Xi, as well as other leaders on the sidelines of the summit.
Putin-Pezeshkian meeting follows CIA Director’s Moscow visit
Putin’s planned meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian comes days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare visit to Moscow. US media speculated that Ratcliffe may have discussed Ukraine and Iran with his Russian counterparts.
The SCO has historically focused on economic issues but has gained momentum in recent years under the leadership of Moscow and Beijing. The organisation now has 10 members and 15 “dialogue partners,” including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
It also has two observer countries, Afghanistan and Mongolia. The SCO’s founding declaration states that the group is “not an alliance directed against other states.”
