Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sept 7: Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet next week at a regional summit in Uzbekistan, a Russian diplomat said on Wednesday, as the Chinese leader made an overseas trip for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
“In less than 10 days our leaders will meet at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit” in Samarkand, the Russian ambassador to China, Andrey Denisov, told Russian agencies.
“We are planning a serious, full-fledged meeting between our two leaders and are working on a detailed agenda with our Chinese partners,” Denisov said.
He also said that the leaders have a lot to talk about both on bilateral issues and international problems.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization includes China, Russia, four Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), India and Pakistan. It will host its next summit on September 15 and 16 in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, a previous stop on the Silk Road. Affected by unprecedented Western sanctions since launching a military offensive in Ukraine, Russia has sought to strengthen ties with Asian countries, especially China.
Beijing has failed to condemn Moscow’s interventions in Ukraine and create diplomatic cover by blowing away Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv, increasing tensions between China. and the West.
Putin and Xi last met in early February in Beijing before the Winter Olympics, days before Putin sent troops to Ukraine.
