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SCO leaders adopt Bishkek Declaration; India lists 13 outcomes

English हिंदी ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം தமிழ் తెలుగు

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First brief 1 Sep, 12:30 IST Updated 1 Sep, 13:28 IST 4 developments 5 min read Latest ↓
Leaders at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan
Photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Where it stands

The 26th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The summit ran from 31 August to 1 September 2026. The summit marked 25 years of the SCO. On 1 September 2026, the leaders adopted the Bishkek Declaration. The leaders adopted 28 documents in all. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) listed 13 outcomes for India. The leaders approved a protocol to amend the SCO Charter. The protocol supports adding English as an official and working SCO language. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there can be no place for double standards on terrorism. The Declaration opposes unilateral coercive measures that go against the United Nations Charter. The Declaration supports Iran's sovereignty. The Declaration calls for diplomacy to settle the conflict. The Declaration does not mention the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The members will discuss financial cooperation within the SCO Interbank Consortium. The members want to speed up the inclusion of a bank designated by Iran in the consortium. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian proposed an SCO bank. On 31 August 2026, Modi told Pezeshkian that India wants to expand and diversify trade with Iran. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India is studying United States sanctions on Iran. India will host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum later in 2026. Pakistan takes over the SCO chair for 2026-2027.

Version 2 · rewritten 2 Sep, 04:45 IST
Earlier versions
v2 · 2 Sep, 04:45 IST — Added the Declaration's stand on unilateral sanctions and Iran, the SCO Interbank Consortium item on an Iranian bank, Pezeshkian's SCO bank proposal, and the Modi-Pezeshkian trade talks with Misri's sanctions briefing; English now 'official and working' language.
v1 · 2 Sep, 02:06 IST — First published

Background

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a ten-member group of countries. Six countries founded the SCO in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. The founders were China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in June 2017. Iran joined in July 2023. Belarus joined in July 2024. India chaired the SCO in 2022-2023. The SCO Charter names Russian and Chinese as the only official languages. The SCO Secretariat is in Beijing. The SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is in Tashkent.

How it developed

  1. 2001 to August 2026
    How it started

    From six founders in 2001 to the Bishkek summit of 2026

    Six countries set up the SCO in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. India became a full member at the Astana summit in June 2017. As chair, India hosted the 23rd SCO summit online on 4 July 2023. Kyrgyzstan, the chair for 2025-2026, hosted the 26th summit in Bishkek on 31 August and 1 September 2026. The summit theme was "25 Years of the SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity". Modi reached Bishkek after a state visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 29 and 30 August 2026.

    Ministry of External AffairsSCO SecretariatANI
  2. 1 Sep, 11:37 IST
    New fact

    PM Modi addresses the summit, rejects double standards on terrorism

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the SCO Council of Heads of State in Bishkek on 1 September 2026. Modi said there can be no place for double standards on terrorism. Modi called for dismantling the whole support system of terrorism: money, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens. Modi said all disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, not on the battlefield. Modi said connectivity projects must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. Modi said India will host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum later in 2026.

    Akashvani NewsANIIANS
  3. 1 Sep, 13:28 IST
    Settled

    Bishkek Declaration adopted; 13 outcomes for India

    On 1 September 2026, Modi and the other SCO leaders signed the Bishkek Declaration. The leaders adopted 28 documents in all, including a protocol to amend the SCO Charter of 7 June 2002. The protocol supports adding English as an official SCO language. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) listed 13 outcomes for India. One outcome is a new Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats to the Security of SCO Member States. The summit also adopted plans for SCO ports and logistics centres and for a Green Technology Corridor, both for 2026-2030.

    SCO SecretariatANIPTI
  4. 1 September 2026
    New fact

    Bishkek Declaration opposes unilateral sanctions, backs Iran's sovereignty

    The Bishkek Declaration of 1 September 2026 opposes unilateral coercive measures. The Declaration says such measures go against the United Nations Charter. The Declaration supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran. The Declaration condemns the military strikes on Iran's territory. The Declaration calls for political and diplomatic means to settle the conflict. The Declaration does not mention the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The leaders oppose double standards on human rights. The leaders oppose interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. The leaders back an open, fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system.

    SCO SecretariatTASSAl Jazeera
  5. 1 September 2026
    New fact

    Leaders back Iranian bank in SCO consortium; Pezeshkian proposes SCO bank

    The Bishkek Declaration also covers money and banking. The members will hold a practical dialogue on financial cooperation within the SCO Interbank Consortium. The members want to speed up the inclusion of a bank designated by Iran in the consortium. The members also support reform of the international financial architecture. The reform aims to give developing countries a bigger role in international financial institutions. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the summit on 1 September 2026. Pezeshkian proposed wider use of national currencies among SCO members. Pezeshkian proposed that the SCO eventually set up an SCO bank. Pezeshkian also proposed an SCO export and investment insurance union. Pezeshkian proposed an SCO Energy Consortium as well.

    Office of the President of IranTASSBusiness Standard

Why it matters for UPSC

GS2 · International groupingsGS3 · Internal security

The SCO summit is a General Studies Paper 2 topic on international groupings. The Bishkek Declaration is a political statement, not a binding treaty. The English change rests on a protocol to amend the SCO Charter, with no reported start date. The Declaration only supports speeding up an Iranian bank's entry into the SCO Interbank Consortium. The entry is still a pending issue, not a decision. Do not confuse unilateral coercive measures with sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council.

Key terms

Bishkek DeclarationA declaration is a joint statement signed by leaders at the end of a summit. The Bishkek Declaration records what the SCO leaders agree on. A declaration is not a binding treaty.
SCO CharterThe SCO Charter is the founding rulebook of the SCO. The SCO Charter is dated 7 June 2002. The Charter names Russian and Chinese as the official languages of the SCO.
ProtocolA protocol is a formal document that changes or adds to an existing agreement. The Bishkek protocol is meant to change the SCO Charter. In India, an amendment Act changes the Constitution in a similar way.
Double standards on terrorismDouble standards means judging the same act differently for different countries. The phrase asks every country to condemn every act of terrorism in the same way.
Council of Heads of StateThe Council of Heads of State is the top decision-making body of the SCO. The Council meets once a year in the country holding the SCO chair. The Bishkek meeting was the 26th meeting of the Council.
SCO Civilisation Dialogue ForumThe SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum is a new SCO meeting proposed by India in 2025. India will host the first session later in 2026.
SCO Interbank ConsortiumThe SCO Interbank Consortium is a group of banks from SCO countries. The SCO set up the consortium on 26 October 2005. The consortium arranges finance and banking services for investment projects backed by SCO governments. India's member is the India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL). IIFCL joined the consortium in 2019. Iran has designated a bank to join. The Bishkek Declaration asks members to speed up that bank's inclusion.
Unilateral coercive measuresUnilateral coercive measures are sanctions that one country, or a group of countries, imposes on its own. The United Nations Security Council has not approved such sanctions. The Bishkek Declaration says such measures go against the United Nations Charter. The United States sanctions on Iran are one example. Foreign companies that deal with sanctioned Iranian sectors can also face United States sanctions. Such sanctions on third parties are called secondary sanctions.
Sources (12)
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