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Xi, Putin to participate in Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Astana

• 2 min read
Xi, Putin to participate in Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Astana
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photograph during their meeting in Beijing, on February 4, 2022. (AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the 24th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which will be held from July 3 to 4.

Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported on July 1 that Putin "was preparing for the meeting in Astana," citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying confirmed Xi's participation a day earlier.

Hua added that after the meeting in Astana, the Chinese leader will also stay longer in Kazakhstan and pay a visit to Tajikistan at the invitations of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, according to a statement published on the Foreign Ministry's website.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who skipped Ukraine's peace summit in June, is expected to participate in the event in Astana as well, the U.N. in Kazakhstan reported on X.

The SCO is an intergovernmental organization established by China and Russia in 2001 in Shanghai. It focuses on Eurasian political, economic, security, and defense issues.

The organization consists of nine member states, including China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Putin and Xi are both members of the Council of Heads of State, a supreme decision-making body of the organization that meets once a year.

Putin and Xi last met in May, when the Russian president came to China for a two-day visit. Moscow and Beijing have deepened their ties amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent pressure from the West.

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The latest announcement comes as Kyiv experienced widespread power outages on Oct. 8 following a Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Over 3 million residents in the capital lost power in what officials described as "an attack on one of the energy facilities important for the city of Kyiv."

The railway operator initially reported that the passenger train's driver suffered a leg injury and four passengers required medical attention. The crew of the electric locomotive was unharmed.

 (Updated:  )

"The government looks forward to the smooth resolution of all pending issues between the two countries and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to this end," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

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