Last Wednesday, Vladimir Putin arrived in Bishkek to attend a meeting of the heads of state of the other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The schedule for the trip is very busy. In just a day in Bishkek, the Russian president managed not only to take part in the SCO summit but also to hold a series of important bilateral meetings with his colleagues — the leaders of China, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus. Then, the eventful Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia was held in Dushanbe.
You'll see the highlights of the president's trip in Pavel Zarubin's report right after Vesti Weekly on the next episode of Moscow. Kremlin. Putin. Watch an excerpt of it right now.
Every step of the Iranian president draws the closest attention. A few hours before the start of the summit, Washington accused Tehran of attacking oil tankers. During the summit, Hassan Rouhani, unnoticed by others, does a warm-up under the table. Incessant turbulent events around his country also encourage him to keep in shape. This is the first comment given by the Iranian foreign minister on Washington's statements.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of Iran: "This is a baseless allegation. They hastily accuse us again. This indicates that the situation is very suspicious".
Questions about the American statements make Rouhani only smile. Not uttering a word, he goes to the exit.
Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the Russian President: "We didn't forget the test tubes with white powder. We remember it. Therefore, we learned to be restrained in our assessments and still urge to soberly assess the situation and wait for convincing information to appear".
Now, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping came to a restaurant called Frunze. His first meeting in Bishkek with Vladimir Putin will be held here. They talked in detail just a few days ago in St. Petersburg. But in Bishkek and then in Dushanbe, the leaders of Russia and China use every opportunity, even if it isn't provided by the protocol, to hold negotiations.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
The Chinese president turned 66 years old, and the Russian president decided to give him his warm wishes personally.
Vladimir Putin: “I'm happy to be friends with you.”
This is a whole box of Russian-made ice cream, which Xi Jinping likes very much. And here's the birthday cake. 66 is a lucky number.
Vladimir Putin: Happy birthday!
Xi Jinping: Thank you! I heartily wish you a happy birthday!
Xi Jinping, President of China: "In the heart of the Chinese people, you are held in very high esteem. I think that you and I will put a lot of effort to develop Russian-Chinese relations".
Actually, Trump also celebrated his birthday a few days ago. The Russian president didn't get a chance to wish him a happy birthday. This, of course, is only a small detail, but when it comes to the relations between Moscow, Beijing, and Washington, there are many of them. These days, it's hardly possible to talk about any kind of relations between Russia and the U.S.
Vladimir Putin: "They're deteriorating. They're becoming worse and worse. In recent years, the current administration has made, I think, several dozen decisions related to sanctions. On the other hand, our trade turnover with China is increasing. It has reached $108 billion. Of course, under these conditions, our sympathy is on the side of our strategic partners, which goes without saying".
There were many operational meetings at the summits. This is a so-called "on foot" meeting. Putin and Erdogan are discussing something right before the summit. Most likely, it's the situation in the Idlib zone.
In Dushanbe, a meeting with the emir of Qatar was also held. The cooperation with Russia is measured in multi-digit numbers.
Vladimir Putin: "We're now considering opportunities within the range of ten billion dollars".
In Dushanbe, leaders gathered for the CICA summit. Ukraine participates in this international forum as an observer country. But it can't even observe its own flag, which turned out to be upside down.
Events in and around Ukraine were certainly discussed these days in Bishkek and Dushanbe.
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