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SCO leaders meet in Bishkek as regional tensions remain high

Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are meeting in Bishkek for the group's 25th anniversary summit. The agenda covers security, trade links, and counterterrorism cooperation, ahead of Pakistan assuming the rotating chairmanship.

Sadia Basharat

Senior Digital Producer31 August 20262 min read

SCO leaders meet in Bishkek as regional tensions remain highPhoto: QOM

Bishkek summit to focus on security and trade as regional leaders gather for SCO's 25th anniversary

Bishkek: World leaders will gather in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek next week for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State summit, marking the 25th anniversary of the Eurasian political, security, and economic grouping.

The gathering comes at a crucial moment for Eurasian diplomacy, bringing together key global figures including Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian PM Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian among others.

Formed in 1996 as the 'Shanghai Five' to address post Soviet border security, the bloc formally launched as the SCO in 2001 and has since expanded to 10 full members, including India, Pakistan, Iran, and most recently Belarus. Operating on a consensus model rather than as a strict military or economic bloc, the SCO represents roughly 3.4 billion people, over 40 percent of the world's population, and accounts for nearly a quarter of global GDP.

The Bishkek summit will focus heavily on security, multilateral trade, and transport infrastructure across eurasia. Member states are scheduled to review regional security challenges, with particular focus on counterterrorism via the Tashkent Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RATS), stability in Afghanistan and tensions across the Middle East. Economic. Connectivity also features prominently on the agenda, including developments surrounding the 7,200 kilometre International North South Transport Corridor (NSTC) and ongoing negotiations regarding an SCO development bank.

The gathering will host several significant bilateral dynamics on its sidelines. Chinese and Indian leaders arrive following recent efforts to stabilise border disputes along their Himalayan frontier. Meanwhile, Iranian President Pezeshkian is set to meet President Putin as Tehran navigates heightened economic pressure from the US. Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif is also set to attend, placing Pakistani and Indian leaders in the same forum amidst ongoing regional tensions.

The two day conference will culminate in the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration, charting the future of the organisation's strategic direction. This summit marks the end of Kyrgyzstan's presidency, with Pakistan set to assume the rotating SCO chairmanship for the coming year and host the next heads of state summit in 2027.