Putin and Xi Jinping hold talks at SCO summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the run-up to the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, the Kremlin press service reported.

According to Xi Jinping, Wednesday’s meeting between the leaders indicates the high level of bilateral relations.

"Mr. President Putin, my dear friend, I am very happy to hold another meeting with you. Holding a meeting on the sidelines of a multilateral event is not just a good tradition of ours but also an indication of the high level of Chinese-Russian relations," Xi said.

The Chinese president noted that the Astana summit is the most important event of the year for the SCO.

Xi expressed willingness to hold comprehensive talks with Putin and other leaders of SCO member states on ways to strengthen the organization and boost cooperation in various fields.

Prior to that, the two leaders met a month and a half ago.