Vladimir Putin arrives in Astana ahead of SCO summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin has embarked on an official visit to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which hosts the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit this week.

Putin was met at the airport by Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.

In addition to the July 4 General Meeting, the Russian leader has a series of scheduled bilateral meetings on July 3 as he will be present at talks with at least seven heads of state in Astana.

The Kremlin’s press office announced earlier that President Putin had already arrived in Astana in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Putin will hold a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana.

Thus, Putin’s talks with Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh of Mongolia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and Xi Jinping of China, as well as with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are scheduled for July 3, a day ahead of protocol events.

The SCO summit is scheduled to be held on July 4 at the Palace of Independence in Astana. It is expected that SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming will attend the summit.