Rouhani to meet Chinese, Russian counterparts in Bishkek this week

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is scheduled to meet his Chinese and Russian counterparts Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Kyrgyzstan in coming days.

According to Fars news agency, the Iranian and Chinese presidents will discuss expansion of bilateral ties and regional developments during their meeting in the Kyrgyz capital.

President Rouhani will also meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his two-day stay in Bishkek starting on September 12.

The visit to Bishkek will be Rouhani’s first foreign trip since taking office on August 4. Rouhani will take part in the SCO summit at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev.

The SCO Summit will begin work in the Kyrgyz captal on September 13.

Iran, along with Afghanistan, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan, has an observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The SCO is an intergovernmental security organization that was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.