Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Kazakhstan, the Kremlin said Wednesday, where he will attend a meeting of Shanghai alliance nations in the capital Astana.

The nine-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which encompasses a vast stretch of the globe from Moscow to Beijing, includes around half the world’s population.

Its permanent members are this year’s host Kazakhstan, India, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and, as of last year, Iran.

This year, Belarus is expected to join after being told at 2023’s SCO summit, hosted virtually by India, that it would become a member.