SCO Summit- Manthan

Official designation of the 2026 Bishkek SCO summit

26th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

Dates and host city of the 2026 SCO summit

31 August to 1 September 2026 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Significance of the 2026 Bishkek SCO summit for Kyrgyzstan and the SCO

Fourth time Kyrgyzstan hosted the meeting; closed Kyrgyzstan's 2025–2026 rotating chairmanship;

Chairperson of the 2026 SCO summit

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov

Theme of the 2026 SCO summit

"25 Years of the SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity"

Founding details of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (year, place, founders)

Founded in 2001 in Shanghai by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

Number of member states in the SCO by 2026

10 member states

Expansion timeline of the SCO members after founding

India and Pakistan joined in 2017; Iran joined in 2023; Belarus joined in 2024

Observer states of the SCO by 2026

Afghanistan and Mongolia

Number of dialogue partners of the SCO by 2026

15 dialogue partners

Preceding summit where Kyrgyzstan assumed the rotating SCO chairmanship

2025 Tianjin SCO summit

Event in Kyrgyzstan that coincided with the opening day of the 2026 Bishkek SCO summit

Opening of the sixth World Nomad Games on 31 August

Year and international recognition of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality

1995; unanimously recognized by a United Nations General Assembly resolution

Leaders representing the 10 member states at the 2026 SCO summit

Sadyr Japarov (Kyrgyzstan - Host/Chair)
Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus)
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (Kazakhstan)
(Tajikistan)
Shavkat Mirziyoyev (Uzbekistan)

Leader of Turkmenistan

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow: Supreme Leader

Serdar Berdimuhamedow: President

Armenian PM

Nikol Pashinyan

Azerbaijan Pres

Ilham Aliyev

Mongol Pres

Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh

Lao President

Thongloun Sisoulith

Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister

Hussein Issa.

Vietnamese Vice Presiden

Võ Thi Ánh Xuân

Togolese President

Faure Gnassingbé

Leader of Afghanistan

Hibatullah Akhundzada

Leader of Tajikistan

Emomali Rahmon

Leaders representing Iran, China, India, Pakistan and Russia in SCO Summit

Xi Jinping (China)
Narendra Modi (India)
Masoud Pezeshkian (Iran)
Vladimir Putin (Russia)
Shehbaz Sharif (Pakistan)

Last PM of Iran

• Mir-Hossein Mousavi served as the final Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989

Countries attending the expanded "SCO Plus" format at the 2026 summit

• Armenia

• Azerbaijan

• Turkey

• Mongolia

• Egypt

• Togo

• Laos

• Vietnam

Heads of international bodies attending the 2026 SCO summit

Secretary Generals of

• UN

• SCO

• CIS

• CSTO

• CICA
  
  
  

Board Chairman

• Eurasian Economic Commission

CICA Secretary-General

Kairat Sarybay

Eurasian Economic Commission Board Chairman

Bakytzhan Sagintayev

CSTO Secretary-General

Taalatbek Masadykov

CIS Secretary-General

Sergey Lebedev

SCO Secretary General

Nurlan Yermekbayev

2025 SCO Tourism Capital

Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic

Scope of the main agenda at the 2026 SCO summit

Current international and regional issues; priorities for SCO's further development; cooperation in political, trade, economic, transport and logistics, digital, environmental, cultural, and humanitarian spheres

Specific proposals put forward by Kyrgyzstan at the 2026 summit

Establishment of an SCO development bank, new transport corridors, and an international centre for combating organised crime

City declared as the SCO Tourist and Cultural Capital at the 2026 summit

Lahore in Pakistan

Environmental/technological initiative approved under the Bishkek Declaration

Cooperation programme for a Green Technology Corridor for 2026 to 2030

Three pillars of India's SCO vision outlined by PM Narendra Modi

Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity (urged moving these from a vision to concrete and tangible outcomes)

PM Narendra Modi's message on the 25th anniversary of the SCO

Transform the organisation's 25-year foundation of dialogue and cooperation into practical results, turning shared geography into shared opportunities over the next 25 years

India's stance on counter-terrorism at the SCO summit

Called for collective action against terrorism and its financing; highlighted drug trafficking, organised crime, information security, and narcotics as regional security concerns

PM Modi's message on peace and diplomacy at the SCO summit

Stressed that prolonged conflicts cannot be resolved on the battlefield alone; advocated Dialogue and Diplomacy as the pathway to resolving tensions and wars; linked peace to the traditions associated with Gandhi and Buddha

India's view on Afghanistan and West Asia at the SCO summit

Linked peace and stability in Afghanistan with a secure Eurasia and reiterated humanitarian assistance; warned that West Asian conflicts can disrupt energy security, maritime trade, and global supply chains

India's stance on connectivity projects at the SCO summit

Supported connectivity linking markets, facilitating trade, and creating opportunities, while emphasizing that connectivity projects must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, consistent with the SCO Charter

Measures called for by PM Modi to facilitate trade within the SCO

Simpler customs procedures, digital documentation, and efficient logistics networks (with roads, railways, and air corridors collectively strengthening regional economic connectivity)

PM Modi's vision for "People-Centric SCO" under the Opportunity pillar

Ensure benefits of cooperation reach ordinary people; proposed measuring success through opportunities for youth, entrepreneurs, farmers, and citizens

Civilisational and youth initiatives highlighted by India at the SCO

Views SCO as a confluence of civilisations, cultures, and ideas with people-to-people ties at its centre; highlighted Start-up Forum, Young Authors’ Conclave, and Young Scientists’ Forum

Context and details of the India-Iran bilateral engagement on the sidelines of the SCO summit

First top-level meeting between Iran and India since the war on Iran began that February; PM Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek; Modi urged peace and stability in West Asia and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz

Stance of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the bilateral meeting with PM Modi

Blamed Israel and the U.S. for the conflict; requested PM Modi to use India’s extensive contacts with various parties to help the dialogue process

Details of PM Modi's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit

Discussed bilateral relations, the Russia-Ukraine war, and major regional developments

Alternative name and nature of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

Also known as the Shanghai Pact; a transcontinental political, economic, security, and military alliance; a permanent intergovernmental international organization

Date and location of the announcement of the creation of the SCO

15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China

Signing date, host meeting, and entry-into-force date of the SCO Charter

Signed in June 2002 during the St. Petersburg SCO Heads of State meeting; entered into force on 19 September 2003

Geographic and demographic global share of the SCO

World's largest regional organization; covers approximately 60% of the area of Eurasia, 40% of the world population, and more than 30% of global GDP

Predecessor organization to the SCO and its founding members

Shanghai Five, a mutual security agreement formed in 1996 between China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan

Date when India and Pakistan joined the SCO as full members

9 June 2017

Timeline of Iran's accession to full SCO membership

Started accession as a full member in September 2021 at the Dushanbe Summit in Tajikistan; officially inducted as the 9th full member

Year Belarus became the 10th member state of the SCO

2024

Supreme decision-making body of the SCO and meeting frequency

Heads of State Council (HSC); meets once a year

Primary objectives of regular SCO joint military exercises

Promote cooperation and coordination against terrorism and other external threats, and maintain regional peace and stability

Location of the permanent secretariat of the SCO

Beijing, China

Full form and location of RATS under the SCO

Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure; located in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Number of times India has hosted high-level SCO summit meetings under its chairmanship

Twice (in terms of summit-level meetings under its chairmanship)

Date, format, and chair of the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of State summit hosted by India

July 4, 2023; virtual format; chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Theme of the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of State summit hosted by India

"Towards a SECURE SCO" (focusing on Security, Economy, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty, and Environment)

Major outcome of the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of State summit hosted by India

Iran was officially inducted as a permanent member of the organization

Date, body, format, and chair of India's prior SCO hosting in 2020

November 30, 2020; SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG); virtual meeting; chaired by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

inaugural SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital

2022–2023 Varanasi