President of China Xi Jinping and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin urged their allies and partners on Thursday to resist harmful external influence. Xi and Putin attended the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
“We must together resist outside interference, firmly support each other, consider each other’s concerns… and keep the future and destiny of our countries, as well as regional peace and development, firmly in our own hands,” Xi said, according to China’s state television channel CCTV.
In addition to China and Russia, the organization includes India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and Belarus as a new member.
The organizers of the meeting told about Belarus joining the organization on social media on Thursday.