LIVE UPDATES: Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit Kicks Off in Uzbekistan

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan in 2001. In 2017, India and Pakistan were also admitted to the organization. The SCO observer countries include Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia, while the partner countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey. The SCO also launched the procedure for granting a dialogue partner status to Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in September 2021. In July 2022, Belarus submitted its application to join the SCO as a full-fledged member, while Iran signed the so-called memorandum of obligations, stipulating his determination to join the SCO earlier in the day.

The 77th UNGA, which will run from September 13-27, with the high-level debate set to begin on September 20, marks the first in-person gathering of the body since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on Thursday signed a declaration on comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Tashkent.

The declaration was signed after the meeting of two presidents in Samarkand on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

Beijing and Moscow should strengthen coordination in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS and other international organizations, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

"The sides need to strengthen coordination within the framework of the SCO, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), BRICS and other international organizations and mechanisms, strengthen solidarity and mutual trust between all sides, expand practical cooperation," Xi said, as quoted by China Central Television (CCTV).

The foreign policy tandem of Moscow and Beijing plays a key role in ensuring global and regional stability, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"Russian-Chinese interstate cooperation can be considered a model. The foreign policy tandem of Moscow and Beijing plays a key role in ensuring global and regional stability. We jointly stand for the formation of a just, democratic and multipolar world order based on international law and the central role of the UN, and not on some rules that someone has come up with and is trying to impose on others, without even explaining what it is," Putin said, as quoted by the Kremlin.

The share of mutual settlements in national currencies between Russia and China rose to 27.5% in the first quarter of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.

"Today, Mr. Xi Jinping and I stated with satisfaction that in the first quarter of this year, the share of settlements in national currencies in Russia's trade with China increased to 27.5 percent," Putin said.

Putin at the Russia-China-Mongolia summit also called for development of settlements in national currency and encouraging business cooperation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, said that now the task was to ensure the strengthening of the SCO as a platform for constructive and constructive interaction.

"The task is to ensure the all-round strengthening of the SCO as a platform for constructive and productive interaction," he said.

Putin noted that the organization included countries with different cultural and civilizational traditions, foreign policy guidelines and models of national development.

"However, building work on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, respect for each other's sovereignty and refusal to interfere in internal affairs made it possible to turn this organization into an effective mechanism for multilateral cooperation in a short historical period," Putin said.

The trade turnover between Russia and China will reach new record levels, and in the future, it will exceed $200 billion, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"Multifaceted ties between our countries are actively developing. Last year, trade increased by 35% and exceeded $140 billion. Over the first seven months of this year, the volume of mutual trade increased by another 25%. I am convinced that by the end of the year, we will reach new record levels, and in the near future, as agreed, we will increase the annual trade turnover to $200 billion or more," Putin said at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

Russia highly appreciates China's balanced position on the Ukrainian crisis and understands Beijing's concerns on this matter, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"We highly appreciate the balanced position of Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis. We understand your questions and your concerns on this matter, during today's meeting, of course, we will explain in detail our position on this issue — although we have spoken about this before," Putin said at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the SCO sidelines.

Trade between Russia and Iran grew by 81% year-on-year in 2021 and another 30% in the first five months of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

"Commodity trade increased by 81% last year, and another 30% in the first five months of this year," Putin said.

He also noted that the intergovernmental commission was working actively.

A Russian delegation, including representatives of the business community, will leave for Iran next week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"Next week, we are sending a Russian delegation representing business circles to you [Iran]. In total, about 80 Russian companies participate in it," Putin said at a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the SCO sidelines.

Moscow is doing everything so that Iran becomes a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"We are doing everything to ensure that Iran becomes a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Our partners in this organization have supported ... The last formality remains ... and Iran joins this already serious large and authoritative international organization," Putin said at a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the SCO sidelines.

Raisi expressed gratitude to the Russian side for supporting Tehran’s membership in the SCO and at the same time said that the country's accession to the organization will benefit all members.

Tehran signed a memorandum of commitment for SCO membership earlier in the day, paving the way for the country to become a permanent member of the organization. The procedure of Iran's accession to the SCO was launched back in September 2021 at the summit in Dushanbe.

Uzbek National Coordinator for SCO Rakhmatulla Nurimbetov said that Iran must ratify over 40 documents to become a permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2023.

"The memorandum implies the need for Tehran to join the charter and a number of other SCO fundamental documents. In total, Iran must ratify more than 40 documents of the organization. Only after this procedure, the country will be granted the status of a permanent member," Nurimbetov told reporters.

In order to be admitted to the SCO next year, Iran has to fulfill its commitments before the next summit in India, the coordinator said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss deliveries of Russian gas and partial payments in lire and rubles on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's summit in Samarkand on Thursday, a diplomatic source has told Sputnik.

"Yes, the gas issue, in particular, the details of the agreement on payment in national currencies will be on the agenda," the source said when asked whether the leaders are going to discuss supplies of Russian gas to Turkey.

The source added that there are no problems with deliveries of Russian gas to Turkey.