SCO Leaders Endorse Bishkek Declaration and New Security Center

Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) concluded their 26th summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, marking the organization's 25th anniversary. The member states endorsed the Bishkek Declaration and 27 strategic documents, which collectively call for a reform of the global financial framework to reduce dependency on traditional reserve currencies and denounce Western sanctions. The declaration explicitly condemned military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, stating such actions violate international law and the UN Charter.

Security and counter-terrorism dominated the agenda. The bloc approved the creation of a Universal Center for Countering Challenges and Threats to the Security of SCO Member States to combat extremism and organized crime. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the grouping to dismantle the ecosystem of terrorist financing and recruitment, warning that terrorism cannot be a "strategic asset" for any country—a remark widely interpreted as a critique of Pakistan, which assumed the SCO rotating chairmanship from Kyrgyzstan during the summit.

Economic and technological cooperation also featured prominently. President Xi Jinping proposed 100 technological cooperation projects and an international AI application cooperation center. Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, attending as a dialogue partner, advocated for aligning the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor Initiative with the Belt and Road Initiative. On the sidelines, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping held talks to reinforce the strategic alliance between Moscow and Beijing, while Putin also met with Prime Minister Modi to discuss bilateral trade and the conflict in Ukraine.