The 26th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) marked its silver jubilee in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 31 August and 1 September. It was a timely marker because the SCO’s main strengths and its known challenges remain much the same. It brings together member countries that do not necessarily agree on what read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's participation in the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, held in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of this influential coalition of Eurasian nations, was a significant display of India's commitment to upholding its strategic autonomy on the global stage. This gathering offered a vital opportunity for Modi to reconnect with his regional allies, especially in the light of the ongoing tensions resulting from the war in the Gulf which have profoundly read more

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting on August 31 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) heads of state summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. This was their second meeting this year: Putin made a state visit to China in May to mark 25 years of a friendship treaty between the two countries. In Bishkek the Russian President praised the “foundational bilateral Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation” and read more

India hosts the 18th BRICS summit, a major plurilateral grouping of the 21st century, amid adverse geopolitical circumstances. Russia, a leading member, remains involved in its war against Ukraine, which began out in February 2022. Three of its members – Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia (which mostly absent itself from meetings or observes silence) – have been engaged in the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. The U.S., the lone superpower with an expressed anti-BRICS sentiment, has issued an unmistakable threat to read more