Ahmadinejad to meet Russian president in Beijing

TEHRAN,May 27(MNA) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to pay a visit to china and participate the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which will be held in Beijing on June 6 and 7. Various issues including the latest developments in the region and the world will be discussed in the summit. During his visit to Beijing, Ahmadinejad will also meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hold talks on bilateral ties. China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are members of Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Iran, Pakistan, India and Mongolia will also participate in the upcoming summit as observer states and Afghanistan as a guest. Ahmadinejad will also meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and discuss the Iran’s nuclear program. Ahmadinejad’s visit to China takes on particular significance as China is a veto-wielding permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and has resisted the United States’ demands for sanctions on Iran. Iran, OPEC’s second-largest producer, exports most of its 2.2 million barrels of oil per day to Asia, home to its four main customers: China, Japan, India, and South Korea. All four nations have cut back on their purchases, dissuaded by a previous package of U.S. financial sanctions due to take effect at the end of June as well as an EU oil embargo and a ban on shipping insurance, which take effect on July 1.