Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sept. 16 Türkiye would pay for a quarter of its Russian natural gas imports in rubles under a new set of deals designed to boost trade.

Putin made the announcement in opening remarks of his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday that Beijing was willing to work with Moscow as "great powers" during his first trip overseas since the early days of the pandemic.

 Russia needs to work with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at a meeting of a China- and Russia-led security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Turkish President Recep Erdogan stated that his country has not given up on its ambition of joining the EU but that there are several other alternatives if the process reaches a dead end.

Last week, the European Parliament voted on a resolution on freezing accession negotiations with Ankara, while Erdogan threatened to end the agreement on the admission of refugees.

Without Turkey's help, Europe will be flooded by the migrant wave, while the freezing of negotiations with the EU will harm Europe more than it would Ankara, stated to Turkish media Turkish PM Binali Yıldırım.

China is willing to consider any application from NATO-member Turkey to join a Russian and Chinese-led security bloc, the Shanghai Pact, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Nov. 21 after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said his country could join.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has stated that Turkey sees the accession of his country to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a real alternative to membership in the EU.

Nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India will start the process of joining a security bloc led by China and Russia at a summit in Russia later this week, a senior Chinese diplomat said on July 6, the first time the grouping has expanded since it was set up in 2001.