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Russia, China, Iran Leaders to Attend SCO Summit in Kyrgyzstan
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Elections & Politics

Russia, China, Iran Leaders to Attend SCO Summit in Kyrgyzstan

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • Leaders including Russia's Putin and China's Xi Jinping will attend a Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan, celebrating its 25th anniversary.
  • The SCO, comprising Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Central Asian nations, and Belarus, seeks to establish a multipolar world and counter Western influence.
  • The summit occurs amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and trade tensions, with leaders expected to hold bilateral talks on deepening ties.

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China are set to attend a two-day summit in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, marking the 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO). The gathering will also include leaders from Iran, India, Pakistan, and several Central Asian nations, aiming to bolster the bloc's influence as a counterweight to Western powers.

Around a dozen heads of states will head to the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to mark 25 years of the Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO)

— AFPReporting on the number of leaders attending the summit.

The SCO, which includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian countries, and Moscow-allied Belarus, has increasingly become a platform for Putin and Xi to advance their vision of a multipolar world order. This summit takes place against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will also attend, with Putin expected to hold separate bilateral meetings with him and Xi. Russia and Iran have significantly deepened their military and economic cooperation since the Ukraine war began, drawing warnings from the U.S. regarding potential arms transfers.

Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West.

— Article TextDescribing the political aims of the Russian and Chinese leaders at SCO summits.

The SCO, historically focused on economic cooperation, has gained momentum under Russian and Chinese leadership. While its founding declaration states the group is not an alliance against other states, recent summits have featured anti-Western rhetoric from both Putin and Xi, who have criticized Western actions regarding Ukraine and U.S.-China tensions.

The SCO's founding declaration says the group is "not an alliance directed against other states".

— Article TextQuoting the official stance of the SCO regarding its purpose.

This meeting occurs amidst ongoing "real wars" in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as trade disputes, including U.S. tariffs on Chinese and Indian goods. The U.S. has also imposed secondary sanctions on Iran's trading partners, which China has vowed to resist, while Iran maintains it will not yield to economic pressure despite acknowledging current "economic difficulties."

But Putin and Xi have repeatedly made anti-Western speeches during its summits.

— Article TextHighlighting the leaders' rhetoric at previous SCO gatherings.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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