Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has taken part in a cultural programme hosted by Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan on the sidelines of the 25th Council of Heads of State Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

She was warmly welcomed by Peng upon her arrival at the event, which brought together spouses of heads of state for a family photo before attending a cultural programme highlighting the diverse traditions of participating countries, the Turkish Presidency said in a statement on Monday.

The first ladies of Nepal, Armenia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Egypt, and Uzbekistan, along with the daughter of the Iranian president, were also present.

The gathering provided an opportunity for participants to exchange views on cultural heritage and shared values, the statement said.

Following the event, Emine Erdogan shared reflections on social media, expressing her pleasure at joining the meeting hosted by Peng.

“In this special programme where we explored Tianjin’s cultural and architectural richness, we held friendly conversations and exchanged views on shared values such as peace, family, environment and cultural cooperation,” she said.

“I hope that these meaningful meetings will further strengthen the bonds between our countries.”

China’s President Xi Jinping hosted the two-day summit of SCO leaders as well as “SCO plus,” bringing together some 20 heads of state and government, besides leaders of international organisations.

It was the largest gathering of the SCO as well as the fifth time hosted by China since the bloc was formed in 2001.