Leaders of Russia, China attend summit of regional security grouping

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday attended the summit of a security grouping created by Moscow and Beijing to counter Western alliances.

Putin and Xi joined the leaders of other countries that are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at its annual meeting in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana.

The grouping was established in 2001 by China, Russia and the four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to promote regional security and economic cooperation. It was later joined by India, Pakistan and Iran. Russia’s western neighbor and ally, Belarus, joined the SCO on Thursday.

Observer states and dialogue partners include Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Addressing the summit, Putin emphasized the group’s focus on ensuring security of its members and said the SCO will form a dedicated center that will coordinate response to various security challenges. He added that the group’s members will also endorse a special program to fight separatism and extremism.

Xi called on the SCO members to show solidarity in the face “the real challenges of intervention and polarization,” according to a readout of his speech by the official Xinhua news agency.

“In the face of the real threat of the Cold War mentality, we have to safeguard the security bottom line,” he added.

Besides Putin and Xi, and summit host Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, attending Thursday’s meeting are Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan, President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan and President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has sent his foreign