Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to arrive in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, joined by the leaders of Iran, India and Pakistan. Around a dozen heads of state will gather in the capital Bishkek to mark 25 years of the regional bloc.
The SCO comprises Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian countries and Belarus. The organisation also has 15 dialogue partners, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and two observer countries: Afghanistan and Mongolia.
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 founding declaration states the group is "not an alliance directed against other states," though Putin and Xi have repeatedly made anti-Western speeches at its gatherings.
The summit convenes as several members face significant pressures from Western powers. Russia is four-and-a-half years into its invasion of Ukraine, while Iran is engaged in conflict with the United States and under extensive sanctions. The US this month imposed secondary sanctions on Iran's trading partners in gold, technology, digital assets, aviation and maritime transport. Both Russia and Iran are among the most sanctioned states globally.
Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov said Putin is expected to hold separate bilateral talks with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, Xi and other leaders. An international relations expert told AFP that Tehran "believes its membership and active participation in these alliances can enable it to circumvent US and European sanctions," though concrete benefits of such blocs remain uncertain in times of crisis.
