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Putin to meet with Xi Jinping, other leaders at SCO summit in Uzbekistan

According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, the meeting "will be very important for obvious reasons"

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other foreign leaders at the upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters.

"Intense preparations are now underway for the talks between our president and PRC President Xi Jinping that are planned to take place during the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand on September 15-16," he said.

According to the Kremlin official, the meeting "will be very important for obvious reasons."

The talks will be part of "a number of bilateral meetings" that Putin will have on the sidelines of the summit, Ushakov said. The plan is also to hold the traditional trilateral summit of Russia, China and Mongolia, the official said.

Invitations to the summit in Samarkand were sent to many leaders, including from observer countries, which are the countries that maintain ties with this organization, according to the Kremlin aide. Leaders have also been invited from the countries that show an interest in engaging with the SCO while having no formal status at the organization, he said.

"The two days in Samarkand will be very busy," Ushakov said.

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