China has confirmed that the next Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit will take place in Tianjin from 31 August to 1 September. The announcement was made after the Council of Foreign Ministers convened in Beijing and nearby Tianjin on Tuesday. President Xi Jinping met the foreign ministers and senior officials of the eight-member bloc at the Great Hall of the People, calling for the SCO to "inject greater stability" into a turbulent global landscape and deepen security and economic cooperation. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, whose country currently holds the rotating chair, said leaders from more than 20 nations and heads of 10 international organisations are expected to attend the late-August gathering. On the meeting’s sidelines, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi discussed ways to reach a "peaceful solution" to the Iranian crisis, reiterating their support for a diplomatic path to resolve disputes over Tehran’s nuclear programme.