ASTANA, July 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit which has officially kicked off in Astana, a TASS correspondent reported.

The participants include Chinese leader Xi Jinping, acting Iranian President Mohammad Mokhber and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Traditionally, the summit is attended by the leaders of post-Soviet countries involved in the founding of the SCO: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has also arrived in Astana where his country will become the organization’s full-fledged member.

The participants will recap the organization’s work in 2023-2024. They will also consider the further strengthening of the organization and promoting cooperation in the areas of politics, security, economy and humanitarian ties. Additionally, the heads of state will exchange views on pressing issues on the international and regional agenda. It is planned to sign 24 documents with the main one being the declaration of the SCO Council of Heads of State.

In the afternoon, a session in the "SCO plus" format will be launched, attended by observer states and dialogue partners. Among others, it will be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

About SCO

The SCO was founded on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai. Initially the organization included Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, in 2017 they were joined by India and Pakistan. Tehran applied to join in 2008 and became a full-fledged member of the organization in July 2023. Belarus is expected to join the group at the current summit.