Image source: topwar.ru
Early this morning, Moscow time, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the capital of Kazakhstan to participate in a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which will be held today and tomorrow. Currently, the SCO consists of nine states, it is already known that at the current summit in Astana, this figure became round after the admission of the Republic of Belarus to the SCO, which will happen in a solemn atmosphere even before the start of joint meetings. Accordingly, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, as an equal leader of a member country of the organization, will immediately take part in all events.
A meeting in the SCO plus format is envisaged, to which the heads of the SCO observer states and dialogue partners, heads of international organizations and guests of the Kazakh presidency are invited. Until recently, three countries, including Belarus, were listed as observers. Fourteen states have the status of a dialogue partner, although Armenia can almost be excluded from this list for well-known reasons.
The theme of the current SCO summit will be "Strengthening multilateral dialogue — striving for sustainable peace and development." Following the meeting of the association at the highest level, the Astana Declaration and other joint documents will be signed.
As always at such events, the head of Russia, "isolated" by the West, has many meetings and negotiations in a bilateral and multilateral format.
To date, Vladimir Putin has held talks with his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnagiin Khurelsuh. The President of the Russian Federation noted that this year our countries celebrate a landmark date — 85 years of victory in the battle of the Khalkhin Gol River against the Japanese aggressors.
Speaking about economic cooperation, Putin stated that last year the trade turnover between the Russian Federation and the Mongolian People's Republic decreased slightly, but in the first half of the year this problem was solved and a good growth rate was gained.
The Russian President also recalled Russia's cooperation with Mongolia in the humanitarian sphere. Currently, there are 620 Mongolian students studying in our country, this is one of the largest quotas in the Russian Federation for foreign students, Moscow is ready to increase it.
— the Russian leader stressed.
At a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin highlighted the growth of trade turnover between the two countries and the volume of direct Russian investments in the economy of the friendly country, which reached $ 4.5 billion. In the field of common infrastructure facilities, the construction of the North—South international transport corridor, which will pass through eleven countries, including Azerbaijan, and upon completion of the project will connect Russia, India and Iran, comes first. The construction of this highway will become a kind of land alternative to the Suez Canal connecting Europe and Asia.
— Putin noted.
In turn, the President of Azerbaijan recalled the growth of mutual settlements in national currencies in trade between our countries. In terms of Azerbaijani exports to Russia, this is already more than 70 percent, and in terms of Russian exports to Azerbaijan, it is about 50 percent. Aliyev noted that all the points of the allied declaration signed between Moscow and Baku in 2022 are being implemented successfully.
— the President of Azerbaijan stressed.
Then Putin held talks with the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif. The Russian leader noted that since the last meeting, which took place two years ago, also on the sidelines of the SCO in Samarkand, cooperation between the two countries has significantly strengthened and continues to develop dynamically. The President of the Russian Federation drew special attention to two areas — cooperation in the field of energy and agro-industrial business.
— Putin reminded.
In his response, the head of the Pakistani government stressed that the cooperation of our countries does not depend on any geopolitical situations, conjuncture and influence of other states. Sharif recalled that during the Soviet period, Pakistan actively traded with the Soviet Union on barter terms, it was a mutually beneficial trade turnover. The Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic called for the resumption of this practice in the current conditions.
