Putin, Xi chair SCO summit in historic Uzbek city of Samarkand
The presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and China, Xi Jinping, today chair the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the historic city of Samarkand. The president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyóyev, announced that during the summit more than 40 agreements will be signed to strengthen cooperation among its eight members (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan). The meeting, which will conclude with the approval of a final declaration, will formalize Iran’s entry into the organization, to which Belarus also aspires. After the meeting of the eight full members, the meeting will be joined by the leaders of observer countries and SCO associated countries such as Turkey, whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, personally traveled to Uzbekistan.