BISHKEK, Aug. 29 -- The upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek is "a center of the emerging multipolar world," Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Friday, framing Russia's participation in the bloc's highest-level gathering as part of a sustained effort to build out a diplomatic architecture that operates beyond Western-dominated institutions.

Ushakov made the remarks ahead of the SCO summit, scheduled for August 31 to September 1 in Kyrgyzstan's capital, where Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to participate along with leaders from China, India, Pakistan and the broader SCO membership.

"The SCO is one of the largest and most influential regional organizations today," Ushakov told reporters. "It is, in essenc...