MOSCOW, July 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to continue talks with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, when the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meets for a summit on July 5 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Putin told a Kremlin press conference.
"We will continue our bilateral and multilateral cooperation," the president said. "We will continue our consultations at the SCO forum in Astana." The SCO consists of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Putin said Russia and China intended to conduct their first large-scale military exercises together in late summer. He pointed to the two countries' desire to develop military technical cooperation.
The Chinese leader told journalists that he had invited the Russian president to visit China in 2006 and that Putin had accepted the invitation.
After the talks, Putin and Jintao made a short tour of the Kremlin. They saw the Grand Kremlin palace, Cathedral Square and the Assumption Cathedral.
