PM Modi Attends 26th SCO Summit at Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 26th SCO Summit at Bishkek in the Kyrgyz Republic, where the Bishkek Declaration and four MoUs were adopted.

Why in News
On 1 September 2026 Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in the 26th SCO Summit at Bishkek in the Kyrgyz Republic, held in the organisation's 25th anniversary year, and the meeting adopted the Bishkek Declaration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the 26th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on 1 September 2026. The venue was Bishkek, capital of the Kyrgyz Republic. The meeting ran over two days and had opened on 31 August. This is the SCO's 25th anniversary year, so the leaders first looked back at what the grouping has built and then turned to the next quarter century.
The S-C-O formula India pressed
India's vision for the grouping rests on three pillars, and their initials spell the organisation's own short name. S is for Security. C is for Connectivity. O is for Opportunity. The Prime Minister had placed these before the previous summit. At Bishkek he asked that they now be carried from vision to measurable outcomes.
On security he said terror remains a grave danger to all of humanity. Reacting to each attack is not enough, he argued; the money, the recruitment, the radicalisation and the safe havens that feed it must be pulled down together. He said no country may apply double standards on this question, and that terror can never serve anyone as a strategic asset. He tied a peaceful Eurasia to stability in Afghanistan and recalled the development and humanitarian help India sends there. He also welcomed the new SCO centres being set up against organised crime, narcotics and threats to information security.
On connectivity he said India backs projects that join markets and widen trade, so long as they respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country. On opportunity he said the real test of the grouping is how many openings young people, entrepreneurs and farmers actually gain from it.
What the summit adopted
| Main document | Bishkek Declaration |
| Agreements | Four MoUs |
| Other papers | More than twenty decisions and statements |
Those papers covered climate, nuclear safety, energy conservation and the fight against drug addiction. Four proposals India led or backed found a place in the declaration: English as an official language in the SCO Charter, the Civilisational Dialogue Forum, the Young Scientists Forum and the Young Authors Conclave. India will host the first Civilisational Dialogue Forum later this year. The Prime Minister thanked President Sadyr Japarov for the hospitality and for running the summit well.
Important Facts
| Event | 26th SCO Summit (Council of Heads of State) |
|---|---|
| Venue | Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic |
| Dates | 31 August to 1 September 2026 |
| Host | President Sadyr Japarov; Kyrgyzstan held the chair |
| Milestone | 25th anniversary year of the SCO |
| Outcome document | Bishkek Declaration, four MoUs, over twenty decisions and statements |
| India's three pillars | Security, Connectivity, Opportunity |
| India to host | First SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum, this year |
| India-backed proposals | English as an official language in the SCO Charter, Civilisational Dialogue Forum, Young Scientists Forum, Young Authors Conclave |
Exam Point of View
Remember the edition (26th), the host city and country (Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic), the dates (31 August to 1 September 2026), the 25th anniversary year, the host President Sadyr Japarov, the main outcome document (Bishkek Declaration with four MoUs), India's three pillars of Security, Connectivity and Opportunity, and the four India-backed proposals: English in the SCO Charter, the Civilisational Dialogue Forum, the Young Scientists Forum and the Young Authors Conclave.
Practice Questions
Which city hosted the 26th SCO Summit attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi?
- A.Astana
- B.Bishkek
- C.Tashkent
- D.Samarkand
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Bishkek
Explanation
The correct answer is Bishkek. The release from the Prime Minister's Office says that the 26th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was held at Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, and that the Prime Minister took part in it on 1 September 2026 after the meeting had opened on 31 August. Two further details in the release fix the venue in memory. The main outcome document is itself called the Bishkek Declaration, and the Prime Minister thanked President Sadyr Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic for the welcome and the hospitality his country extended. Astana, Tashkent and Samarkand are well known cities of other member states of the grouping, and an aspirant may recall them from earlier editions, but this release names none of them. It names only Bishkek, so every other option is wrong here.
In India's vision for the SCO, what do the letters S, C and O stand for?
- A.Stability, Commerce and Order
- B.Security, Connectivity and Opportunity
- C.Solidarity, Culture and Outreach
- D.Sovereignty, Cooperation and Openness
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Security, Connectivity and Opportunity
Explanation
The correct answer is Security, Connectivity and Opportunity. In his statement at Bishkek the Prime Minister recalled that at the previous summit he had set out three main pillars of India's thinking on the grouping, and that their initials spell the organisation's own short name: S for Security, C for Connectivity and O for Opportunity. He then asked that the three be carried beyond vision into concrete outcomes. Under security he sought the dismantling of the funding, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens behind terror, with no double standards. Under connectivity he backed projects that join markets and widen trade while respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations. Under opportunity he said the test is how many openings young people, entrepreneurs and farmers gain. The other three options use words that sound plausible but appear nowhere as the formula in the release.
Which SCO forum, proposed by India, will hold its first edition in India?
- A.SCO Start-up Forum
- B.SCO Young Scientists Forum
- C.SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum
- D.SCO Young Authors Conclave
Show answer
Correct answer: C. SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum
Explanation
The correct answer is the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum. The Prime Minister said India would be glad to host the first edition of this forum later this year, and described it as an Indian flagship proposal meant to build civilisational exchanges among member states. He had proposed it at the previous summit, and the declaration adopted at Bishkek carries it. The other three options are all Indian initiatives inside the grouping and that is what makes them plausible distractors: the Start-up Forum, the Young Scientists Forum and the Young Authors Conclave are each named in the release as steps India has taken or supported. But the release says only about the Civilisational Dialogue Forum that its first session will be held in India this year, so options A, B and D are wrong for this particular question.
Consider the 26th SCO Summit. Which statement is correct?
- A.It marked the 15th anniversary of the SCO
- B.It adopted the Bishkek Declaration along with four MoUs
- C.It was chaired by Afghanistan
- D.It removed English from the SCO Charter
Show answer
Correct answer: B. It adopted the Bishkek Declaration along with four MoUs
Explanation
The correct answer is that the summit adopted the Bishkek Declaration along with four MoUs. Besides the declaration and the four memoranda, the meeting also adopted more than twenty decisions and statements in fields such as climate, nuclear safety, energy conservation and the fight against drug addiction. Option A is wrong on the count: the release describes this as the 25th anniversary of the grouping, which is why the leaders spoke of a roadmap for the next twenty-five years. Option C is wrong because Kyrgyzstan held the chairmanship, and the Prime Minister praised the focus on youth engagement under that chairmanship; Afghanistan appears in the release only as a country whose peace and stability matter for Eurasian security. Option D reverses the fact: accepting English as an official language in the SCO Charter was one of the proposals India led that the declaration carries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the 26th SCO Summit held?
At Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, from 31 August to 1 September 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended it in the organisation's 25th anniversary year.
What do S, C and O stand for in India's SCO vision?
Security, Connectivity and Opportunity. The Prime Minister had set out these three pillars at the previous summit and asked at Bishkek that they now be turned into concrete outcomes.
Which declaration was adopted at the summit?
The Bishkek Declaration. The summit also adopted four MoUs and more than twenty decisions and statements on subjects such as climate, nuclear safety, energy conservation and drug addiction.
Sources
- Prime Minister participates in the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
- English Translation of Prime Minister’s Statement at the 26th SCO Summit (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
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