By Anthony Marcus for Eurasia Business News, August 31, 2026. Article n°3133
The 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit opened in Bishkek on August 31 with China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian among the leaders attending. The two-day meeting marks the SCO’s 25th anniversary and focuses on security, regional cooperation, trade and a more multipolar global order.
Created in 2001 to ensure the security of the borders of the former Soviet republics and China, the SCO demonstrates ambitions to outgrow the regional framework and become one of the key structures of a multipolar world.
Xi Jinping in Bishkek
The Chinese president Xi Jinping arrived in Kyrgyzstan on August 30 for both the SCO summit and a state visit. On August 31, he met President Sadyr Japarov and described China-Kyrgyzstan relations as entering a “golden period.” The two sides signed cooperation documents and pledged to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership.
Beijing views Kyrgyzstan as strategically important because it sits along Central Asian trade and transport routes linking China with West Asia and Europe. The relationship also supports China’s broader economic and security influence in a region historically tied closely to Russia.
Vladimir Putin in Bishkek
The Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Monday on a working visit to attend the anniversary summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), on the sidelines of the forum he will have several bilateral meetings.
The Russian president’s working day on the first day of the visit will begin with personal meetings. Multilateral summits will be used by leaders to discuss, among other things, the bilateral agenda.
The first in a series of meetings is scheduled for a conversation between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also taking part in the SCO summit.
Then Vladimir Putin will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On the same day, in the evening, all the leaders of the countries participating in the SCO summit will meet at the opening ceremony of the VI World Nomad Games, which are being held in Bishkek.
The group member States are Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. Delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Vietnam, Egypt, Laos, Mongolia, Togo, Turkey, as well as the presence of a number of heads of international organizations such as the UN, ECE, CSTO, CICA and the CIS are expected to participate in the summit.
Informal communication between the heads of state will continue at a solemn reception, which will be held in honor of the guests on behalf of the host of the summit – President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov.
At the end of the day, Putin is scheduled to meet with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The presidents met in late July in Omsk, but, as Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier, “there are issues that the leaders would like to discuss additionally at this meeting in Bishkek.”
The discussion of the bilateral agenda will continue with the President of Russia on September 1 – the main day of the SCO summit.
After the completion of multilateral events within the framework of the summit, Putin will first talk with Iranian President Masoud Pezeschkian, then meet with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.
After that, the President of the Russian Federation is scheduled to have a conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
On the same day, he will talk with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The series of bilateral meetings will end with Putin’s conversation with the host of the SCO summit, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
This year, the organization celebrates its 25th anniversary. The Member states leaders will not just hold another summit, but will sum up the results of the organization’s work and determine the prospects for the further development and modernization of the association.
In total, more than 20 documents are expected to be signed following the meeting.
At the end of the working trip, Putin will talk to Russian journalists.
From Kyrgyzstan, the President of the Russian Federation will come to Vladivostok to participate in the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
Conversation between Putin and Xi Jinping: important international issues, bilateral cooperation, the Power of Siberia project
The planned conversation between Putin and Xi Jinping in Bishkek will not be the first this year, the leaders have already been in contact. They are expected to see each other twice more before the end of the year.
Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov previously told reporters that Putin and Xi Jinping will meet at the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi in September, and will also hold talks in November within the framework of the APEC forum in Shenzhen.
At the meeting on Monday, according to the presidential aide, the leaders will discuss topical issues of further development of bilateral cooperation, as well as “the most important international problems.” “We closely coordinate efforts in the international arena with the People’s Republic of China, actively develop trade and economic relations,” he said.
In addition, Putin and Xi Jinping are expected to discuss the Power of Siberia-2 project and the possible finalization of agreements on it. Ushakov noted that this topic will also be discussed at the Eastern Economic Forum.
“This topic will be discussed bilaterally. It will be discussed not only at the level of the Eastern Economic Forum, but also at a meeting with the leader of the People’s Republic of China, which will be held on August 31,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
On the sidelines of the EEF, Ushakov noted, Putin will meet with Vice Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Ding Xuexiang, who is the chairman of two intergovernmental commissions at once – on investment cooperation and energy cooperation. “So it is quite logical that we will meet with him and discuss issues of bilateral economic cooperation,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
Putin and Modi agreed to discuss important issues at the meeting
President Putin will also discuss important issues with the Prime Minister of India. “This meeting is quite interesting, since we agreed to discuss several important issues at it,” Ushakov said earlier.
He noted that the two countries are linked by a special privileged strategic partnership. “We are really working very closely in all areas of cooperation. The other day, as you know, our president received the Minister of External Affairs of India, who was on a visit to Moscow. There was also a very useful conversation,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
Communication between Putin and Modi will continue at the BRICS summit in September in New Delhi.
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© Copyright 2026 – Eurasia Business News. Article no. 3133
Eurasia Business News 