World Leaders to Gather in Kyrgyzstan for 25th Anniversary of SCO Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are expected to attend a two day summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday. The event marks 25 years of the Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO), a regional bloc that includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, and four Central Asian countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are also scheduled to participate in a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov.

According to Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov, President Putin is expected to hold separate bilateral talks with President Pezeshkian and President Xi. The summit occurs amidst significant geopolitical tension, including the ongoing Ukraine invasion and a conflict between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump has warned Moscow and Beijing against arming Iran, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently made a rare trip to Moscow to potentially discuss Ukraine and Iran.

Both center left sources describe the SCO as a regional bloc seeking to be a counter influence to the West, although they note the group's founding declaration states it is not an alliance directed against other states. One source adds that Putin and Xi have used these summits to promote a multipolar world and have made anti Western speeches, including accusations that Western countries provoked the Ukraine war.

The bloc claims to represent approximately 40 percent of the world population and 25 percent of global GDP. However, internal diversities persist. Russia and China compete for influence in Central Asia, and Beijing has experienced strained relations with India and Pakistan. International relations expert Mohammad Hassan Najmi stated that while Tehran believes the alliance can help it circumvent US and European sanctions, the concrete benefits remain uncertain as such alliances have rarely resolved Iran's difficulties during crises.