Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek on August 31, stated the need to move toward ending hostilities and finding a sustainable peaceful solution.
“Every day of war sets humanity back. We must work to end hostilities,” Modi said during the open part of the bilateral talks. He was referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The Indian prime minister has consistently advocated ending it through negotiations and diplomacy. At his previous meeting with Putin at the SCO summit in Tianjin in September 2025, Modi also called for accelerating the end of the conflict and finding a long-term peaceful solution.
Modi and Putin met in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of the 26th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The formal meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State is scheduled for September 1, while on August 31 the leaders are holding bilateral meetings and participating in other summit events.
The SCO was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the basis of the so-called “Shanghai Five.” India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024.
The SCO currently includes 10 states: Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Their combined population exceeds 3.4 billion people, and the organisation’s countries account for about a quarter of global GDP. Afghanistan and Mongolia are observers, while another 15 countries have dialogue partner status, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The SCO deals with regional security issues, while the organisation itself officially stresses that it is not a military alliance. Its permanent secretariat is located in Beijing, and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure is based in Tashkent.
The summit in Bishkek is taking place in the year of the 25th anniversary of the SCO. The Indian government had previously said that Modi intended to use the forum to promote three New Delhi priorities — security, transport and economic connectivity, and new opportunities for cooperation.
India has again opposed the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), rejecting Azerbaijan’s application for full membership. This was reported by AnewZ, citing diplomatic sources cited by the media. X (formerly Twitter)+14EADaily+14Report.az+14
On the other hand, Pakistan has so far refrained from supporting Armenia’s accession to the SCO. Pakistan’s geopolitical ties with Azerbaijan, as well as its historical positions in the conflicts of the region can become an obstacle in Yerevan’s way.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental regional bloc founded in 2001 in Shanghai. Now it has 10 full members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus.
In 2025, Armenia and Azerbaijan applied for full SCO membership status (previously they were observers or dialog partners). Their ratification requires the approval of all current members.
