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Sreemaya Nair
6 September 2026 |
During 31 August to 01 September, the 26th SCO Summit was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The summit brought together leaders of all 10 member states alongside observer states and dialogue partners such as Türkiye and Mongolia, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres also in attendance. The summit concluded with the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration, marking the organization’s 25th anniversary and reaffirming its role as an alternative centre of political and economic coordination in a multiorganization. During the summit, President Xi declared that the ”trend toward a multipolar world is irreversible,” while PM Modi emphasised a vision of ”Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity.” Host President Japarov highlighted the philosophy that” unity is the basis of well-being” and called for the organization to remain free of bloc politics. The summit was held against the backdrop of the SCO’s 25th anniversary, the ongoing conflict in West Asia, and a growing push by Global South countries to create alternative forms of international interaction.
The following are four major takeaways from the SCO summit:
1. Member states condemn and reject unilateral sanctions on Iran
In the joint Bishkek Declaration, member states strongly condemned the military strikes on Iranian territory carried out by the US and Israel as violations of international law. The leaders expressed deep condolences over the death of Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei in early 2026. Additionally, the summit explicitly defended Iran’s rights to a peaceful nuclear program under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and rejected unilateral coercive sanctions that contradict United Nations and World Trade Organisation rules.
2. Iran and Russia call for de-dollarization and financial independence
Deepening economic integration and bypassing Western-dominated financial structures were central themes of the summit. Iran and Russia spearheaded proposals to establish a Shanghai Development Bank (or SCO Development Bank), which would use national currencies for capital and operate independently of financial systems that “weaponize” economic tools. Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted that over 98% of mutual trade settlements between Russia and other SCO members are already processed using local currencies rather than the US dollar.
3. Multiple states take stance on terrorism and security “double standards”
The Bishkek Declaration asserted a firm commitment to combating the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism, and extremism, specifically declaring that” double standards” in the fight against terrorism are completely unacceptable. Member states called on the international community to actively block the cross-border movement of terrorists and reject the exploitation of extremist groups for political ends. Operationally, the summit approved regulations for the Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats to the Security of SCO Member States and endorsed programs to combat drug trafficking and narco-terrorism up to 2030.
4. India pushes for English as an official language and territorial integrity, proves successful
In a major institutional shift championed by India, English was officially added as an official and working language of the SCO, alongside Russian and Chinese. On connectivity, while leaders supported trans-Eurasian infrastructure developments, such as the USD 4.7 billion China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, PM Modi and the SCO Charter emphasised a crucial condition: that all connectivity initiatives must strictly respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries.
