Whilst Iranian President Is Delaying His Visit to Russia, Leaders of India and Pakistan Are Preparing to Meet in the Urals

15.06.2009 — News

THE SVERDLOVSK OBLAST.

The two-day summit of the SCO and the first full-scale meeting of the BRIC leaders in Ekaterinburg on 15-16 June 2009 promise quite a number of surprises. Leaders of two international organizations that are capable of influencing the balance of power in the global arena will gather in the capital city of the Sverdlovsk Oblast for the first time in history.

It is expected that the heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states will focus on the issues of North Korea and Afghanistan. They are to sign the Ekaterinburg Declaration which evaluates the current international situation.

The delayed arrival of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has become the first surprise of the summit. He was expected to come to Ekaterinburg on 15 June. However, the President of Iran hasn't flown to Russia yet due to the domestic turmoil that occurred after the presidential elections. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hoped to meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 15 June, as scheduled. There is still a chance of him flying over in the morning of 16 June, though.

On 16 June the leaders of Pakistan and India will have a landmark meeting in Ekaterinburg. Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, and Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, both participating in the SCO summit as observers, will meet for the first time since the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai.