Beijing - Saba:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in China on Sunday for a visit during which he will participate in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states.
The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously stated that this meeting would be a key step in preparing for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which will be held from August 30 to September 1 in Tianjin.
The Russian minister arrived in China from North Korea, where he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the resort town of Wonsan and held talks with Foreign Minister Choi Son-hui.
Earlier this week, Lavrov visited Malaysia to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Summit. On the sidelines of the event, the Russian minister held several bilateral meetings, including with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio.
The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001. It includes India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.
Observer states in the organization are Afghanistan and Mongolia, and partner states include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Sri Lanka. In July 2024, during the SCO summit in Kazakhstan, Belarus gained full membership in the organization.