Eurasian leaders convene in Bishkek for 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit

Eurasian leaders meet in Bishkek

Ten member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation convened in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on 31 August 2026 for a two-day gathering marking the bloc's 25th anniversary. Attendees included Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Leaders from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Belarus also took part in the formal sessions, alongside partner delegates such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The summit agenda focused on regional security, counter-terrorism, transport connectivity, trade, digital cooperation, and energy projects across Eurasia. Participating governments prepared a joint Bishkek declaration to outline shared objectives for economic and diplomatic coordination.

Sideline talks address Ukraine and regional conflicts

Bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit addressed ongoing security conflicts, including the war in Ukraine. Narendra Modi met with Vladimir Putin after the two leaders arrived together in the same car for their formal discussions. During their meeting, Modi pressed the Russian president to bring the conflict in Ukraine to an end through diplomatic mechanisms.

Every day that the conflict drags on is a step backwards for humanity. We must move from an endless war to the end of the war.

Vladimir Putin replied that Russia was moving toward resolving the conflict, according to remarks carried by Russian state media. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the Ukraine conflict was also discussed in passing during direct talks between Putin and Xi Jinping. The summit occurred four and a half years into the Russian invasion of Ukraine and six months into the conflict between Washington and Tehran.

Sino-Russian coordination and Central Asian infrastructure

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin held their second face-to-face meeting of 2026, reviewing bilateral economic ties and international diplomacy. Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow and Beijing shared matching foreign policy approaches on key international matters. The two sides reviewed cross-border energy and infrastructure ventures, including the planned Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline routing through Mongolia.

In a context of rapid changes without precedent, such as have not been seen in a century, the factors of uncertainty and unpredictability are rising sharply, but the aspiration of the world's peoples for peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remains unchanged.

In addition to multilateral talks, Xi conducted a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, signing more than 30 bilateral agreements with the host country. The Chinese president described bilateral ties with Bishkek as entering a golden period, pointing to new highs in trade volume and progress on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

Cultural diplomacy at the World Nomad Games

The diplomatic gathering coincided with the opening of the sixth edition of the World Nomad Games in Bishkek on 30 August 2026. The traditional cultural and sporting tournament, established in 2014, features competitions such as horseback archery, wrestling, and traditional nomadic board games. Organisers registered athletes from 104 countries for the tournament, with several attending heads of state appearing at the opening ceremony. While leaders including Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, and Masoud Pezeshkian attended the opening festivities, Xi Jinping did not participate in the ceremony, citing recent landslides and floods in Tibet. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held separate bilateral discussions with Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit while in Bishkek.