ASTANA. July 3 (Interfax) - Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh has arrived in Astana for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Kazakh prime minister's press service said.
Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Galymzhan Koishybayev welcomed him at the city airport.
"The Mongolian president will attend the SCO summit due in Astana on July 3-4," the press service said.
Mongolia was the first state to become an SCO observer in 2004, it said.
"It's worth noting in the context of Kazakh-Mongolian cooperation that, besides the traditionally friendly political relations, trade and economic interaction serve as a solid foundation of bilateral cooperation. Bilateral trade reached $133 million in 2023, having grown 27.7% from 2022," it said.
The expanded SCO summit in Astana will involve member states, observers, and dialogue partners.
The SCO has nine members, namely, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia have the observer status. Belarus is due to become a full SCO member at the upcoming summit.