Shoygu came to Uzbekistan

On 23 August, Defense Minister of Russian Federation Sergey Shoygu paid a practical visit to Uzbekistan.  This was stated by the Ministry of Defense.

Sergey Shoygu will participate in the meeting of the Heads of Military Departments of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

 “The meeting which is scheduled on 24 August is expected be attended by the military delegations of India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Belarus as an observer state in the SCO”, - the report said.

For reference, the SCO summit is scheduled for 15-16 September.  It currently includes Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.  Observer countries: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia, partner countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.  Recently, many countries have expressed their desire to join the SCO.  In particular, the summit in Samarkand is expected to finalize the procedures for Iran’s accession and to give Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia the status of dialogue partners. The application of Belarus to join SCO as a full member is also being studied.