Putin arrived in Kazakhstan for the SCO summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan where he will attend the meeting of the Shanghai Alliance countries in the capital Astana.
The nine-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which covers a vast swath of the globe from Moscow to Beijing, includes about half the world's population.
Its permanent members are this year's host Kazakhstan, India, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and, since last year, Iran.
Belarus is expected to join this year after it was announced at the 2023 SCO summit, effectively hosted by India, that it would become a member.
"On July 3 and 4, the leaders of the SCO member countries will discuss the state and prospects for further deepening multilateral cooperation within the organization and improving its activities," the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that Putin plans to meet bilaterally with a number of leaders at the summit. | BGNES