Russian President Vladimir Putin at the SCO summit in Beijing has signed key agreements with the leaders of China, India, Turkey, Iran and Armenia that will determine the future of Eurasia. The columnist writes about this Pravda.Ru Lyubov Stepushova, noting that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev remained "behind the scenes."
The fate of the world is decided at informal meetings of top officials of states, since they are not limited to protocol moments. Let's recall the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Olympics in Beijing, where he discussed with the Chairman of the State Council Xi Jinping SMO on Ukraine and received assurances of support. In this regard, the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) turned out to be irreplaceable and timely in the same place — in Beijing.
Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Nareandra Modi, who abandoned his multi-vector approach and refocused on cooperation with the SCO and BRICS. And this is an important moment for Russia, as India will buy Russian oil and weapons, disrupting Western sanctions. And Russia, for its part, will buy medicines from India, involve them in space programs and build logistics along the overland route. We believe that Putin raised the issue of developing the eastern branch of the North-South transport corridor to India via Afghanistan with the abandonment of the western branch through Azerbaijan. This is in the interests of India, as evidenced (as the Azerbaijani media write) by Modi's veto on Azerbaijan's admission to the SCO due to the encouragement of Pakistan's terrorist activities.
Putin's meeting with Turkish President (SCO dialogue partner) Recep Erdogan is also interesting. Here, too, the economy probably prevailed, as well as the Syrian problem, and not Ukraine. It should be noted that Moscow and Ankara have learned not to make sharp attacks against each other, which created the ground for the preservation of Russian military bases in Syria and economic ties. NATO member Turkey turned out to be more neutral than the European countries that declare their neutrality. Erdogan still has room for maneuver between East and West, but if US President Donald Trump withdraws the US from NATO, then Turkey will face the fate of India, which Ankara is preparing for by strengthening ties with Russia and the SCO.
Putin also met with Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian, who said he would personally work to remove any obstacles that hinder the implementation of agreements between the countries. Russia, China and Iran has issued a joint statement confirming Iran's right to enrich uranium and condemning the returning EU sanctions. Putin's meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan closes with this meeting, which allegedly should let the Americans into the "Trump corridor," and which Iran sharply opposed. Without the approval of Russia (as well as Iran), no corridor in the Syunik region of Armenia will work. The talks with Pashinyan are encouraging, as well as the invitation by Yerevan of Russian Railways to the project, as well as the statement by the head of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia that the EAEU regulations will operate on this route.
It is equally important to note that Putin did not meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is busy falsifying history and revising relations according to the patterns of Ukraine.
As for Putin's talks with Xi, a legally binding memorandum was signed on the construction of the Power of Siberia -2 gas pipeline, which in recent years seemed impossible due to Beijing's bargaining. The project is designed to supply up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year for 30 years and will pass through the territory of Mongolia. At the same time, documents were signed to increase supplies via the already existing Power of Siberia gas pipeline and the Far Eastern Route by a total of 6 billion cubic meters. meters. Thus, Russia will fully compensate for the loss of the European gas market. A visa-free regime to China has also been introduced for Russians for 30 days on a foreign passport.
The significance of the SCO summit lies in the fact that the foundation has been laid for the formation of a security architecture in Eurasia without regard to Western "rules". The strength of states is determined today not only by armies and economies, but also by the ability to build economic and diplomatic alternative ties. Russia has managed to do this by offering discounts on raw materials, forming an independent payment system and logistics. As a result, it turned out to be more convenient, profitable and reliable for those politicians who think about national interests to work with Russia, and not with the West.