Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday attended a regional security summit created by the two countries to counter Western alliances. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit is being held in Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana.
Putin says SCO will promote ‘multipolar world’
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s opening remarks hailed the SCO as “one of the most authoritative and influential international structures.”
The alliance claims to represent 40% of the global population and about 30% of its GDP.
Chinese state television quoted Xi as telling meeting participants, “In the face of the real risks of small yards with high fences, we must safeguard the right to development.” The Chinese leader added that the bloc must handle “internal difference” with peace and by seeking common ground.
Putin said that a declaration, to be approved by the 10-member group, “emphasizes the commitment of all SCO participants to the formation of a just, multipolar world order.”
While prime ministers and presidents of most member countries attended the summit, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. Indian media speculated that this was because Modi was busy with the opening week of the Indian Parliament’s monsoon session. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is visiting Central Asia, also attended the summit.
