Putin holds multiple bilateral meetings at SCO summit in Bishkek

On September 1, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Among those he met were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The discussions with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan focused on bilateral relations amid heightened tensions. Aliyev concluded his visit to Kyrgyzstan after the summit, where he also met with Pashinyan, continuing the peace momentum from Washington.