Prime Minister to address key international political issues as SCO marks 25 years of regional cooperation
On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, at the invitation of President Sadyr Zhaparov in order to take part in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, which was scheduled for August 31 to September 1.
At Bishkek airport Modi was formally welcomed by Adylbek Kasymaliev, who is the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, with a traditional Kyrgyz dance performance.
The SCO Summit: 25 Years of Regional Cooperation
The 26th SCO Summit is bringing together the leaders of the member states to talk over the major regional and international issues and to look into ways of further developing cooperation within the organisation. The group, which has 10 members, is celebrating its 25th anniversary since it was set up.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was set up in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, with Iran joining in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.
The summit takes place with the theme of sustainable peace, development and prosperity, Kazakhstán having the rotating presidency in 2026.
Strategic Bilateral Meetings on Sidelines
It is expected that Modi will hold a number of bilateral meetings with various SCO leaders, such as Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the side of the summit.
The significance of the Modi-Putin meeting is clear. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that when they met in Bishkek Modi and Putin would look over all aspects of their bilateral relations. This meeting would be their first since the war in the Middle East started at the beginning of this year, a development which had caused turmoil in global petroleum markets.
The two leaders had their last meeting in December 2025, when Putin went to New Delhi for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. Modi’s meeting with Putin takes place a few days after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met the Russian president at the Kremlin during his two-day official visit to Russia.
Although Chinese President Xi Jinping will be there and will share the stage with Modi, no official bilateral meeting between the two leaders has been arranged. The summit organizers have stated that while both Modi and Xi Jinping will take part in the main SCO events, a formal bilateral meeting between them has not been confirmed.
India’s Regional Vision
In his statement when leaving office, Prime Minister Modi said that his visit to two countries would help New Delhi move forward with its “shared pursuit of peace, stability and prosperity, values which are at the heart of India’s engagement with the world.”
Mr. Modi said that he looked forward to moving forward with India’s vision for the region, which is based on Security, Connectivity and Opportunity, and to working with the other members to achieve a region free from the evil effects of terrorism, separatism and extremism, factors which still endanger peace and stability both in our neighbourhood and elsewhere.
Key Summit Agenda
The summit will bring together regional leaders to discuss issues related to security, trade and diplomacy. There is a proposed SCO development bank, as well as other funding arrangements for connectivity projects. The Bishkek Declaration and the other summit documents are expected to be completed at the September 1 heads-of-state meeting.
For India, the meeting provides an opportunity to strengthen its relations with Central Asia in the areas of trade, energy and connectivity. Bilateral talks with Russia might also include discussions on defense, energy, and cooperation in payments. The wider geopolitical context is difficult to ignore, as the situation in West Asia, the war in Ukraine, and developments in the region are expected to be raised during the leaders’ talks.
By the end of the summit, Kyrgyzstan will pass the rotating chair to Pakistan, which will then take charge of the organisation until 2027 and host the next leaders’ summit that year.
