Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will visit Kyrgyzstan from July 23 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Cholpon-Ata. The meeting will review progress in SCO cooperation and prepare key decisions for the 2026 SCO Leaders’ Summit in Bishkek.
Key Highlights
- MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh will represent India at the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kyrgyzstan.
- The meeting will prepare for the SCO Leaders’ Summit scheduled for August 31–September 1, 2026.
- Foreign ministers will discuss regional security, international issues and SCO cooperation.
- The minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from SCO member states.
New Delhi, July 22: Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will undertake a two-day visit to Kyrgyzstan from July 23 to participate in the Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.
The meeting will be held in Cholpon-Ata, where the foreign ministers of SCO member states will review progress across key areas of cooperation, exchange views on regional and international developments, and finalise documents for adoption at the upcoming SCO Leaders’ Summit.
According to the MEA, the Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting serves as the principal preparatory forum for the SCO Leadership Summit, which is scheduled to take place in Bishkek on August 31 and September 1, 2026. The ministers are expected to finalise policy documents, declarations and decisions that will be considered by the Heads of State during the summit.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Kirti Vardhan Singh is expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other SCO member countries, aimed at strengthening India’s engagement with regional partners and expanding cooperation across political, economic and strategic sectors.
Kyrgyzstan, which holds the SCO Chairmanship for 2025–2026, has adopted the theme “25 Years of the SCO: Together Towards Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity.” The presidency is focusing on enhancing regional cooperation, connectivity, security and sustainable development among member states.
India has maintained active participation in various SCO forums in recent months. Earlier this week, Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat represented India at the 23rd Meeting of SCO Culture Ministers in Cholpon-Ata, where member states discussed cultural cooperation, approved a 2026–2027 cultural exchange programme, and signed a protocol to strengthen collaboration in heritage preservation and creative exchanges.
In April 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bishkek, where he called for a collective and uncompromising approach against terrorism, separatism and extremism, emphasising the need to eliminate terrorist safe havens and reject any political justification for terrorism.
Founded on June 15, 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation initially comprised China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, taking the organisation’s membership to 10 countries. The SCO also has Afghanistan and Mongolia as observer states and 14 dialogue partners, making it one of the world’s largest regional organisations.
India’s participation in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting reflects its continued commitment to strengthening regional cooperation, promoting security and enhancing economic and diplomatic engagement within the Eurasian region. The discussions in Kyrgyzstan will help shape the agenda for the 2026 SCO Leaders’ Summit in Bishkek.
