The SCO foreign ministers’ meeting prepared the main documents for the 1 September leaders’ summit and gave preliminary approval to the draft Bishkek Declaration. Wang Yi held key meetings with the foreign ministers of Belarus and Uzbekistan on development financing, rail connectivity, industrial cooperation and security coordination, while Sergey Lavrov met both Wang Yi and Abbas Araghchi. No major immediate agreement was announced, and the meeting was primarily preparatory. Its real significance will depend on whether the Bishkek summit turns the proposals into funded and enforceable programmes.
Foreign ministers and senior representatives from the ten member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation met in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, on 24 July 2026 to prepare the documents and agenda for the leaders’ summit scheduled for 1 September in Bishkek. Abbas Araghchi of Iran, Wang Yi of China, Sergey Lavrov of Russia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and the foreign ministers of the Central Asian states were among the main participants, while India was represented at minister of state level. A day before the formal session, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov received the ministers and heads of the SCO’s permanent bodies to discuss future cooperation and preparations for the summit. The meeting focused on Eurasian security, counterterrorism, extremism, separatism, drug trafficking and transnational crime, alongside trade, transport, regional connectivity and institutional reform. Its main formal outcome was the preliminary approval of the draft Bishkek Declaration marking the SCO’s 25th anniversary, together with several statements and documents for consideration by the leaders.
Bilateral meetings added further political weight to the gathering. Wang Yi met Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov to discuss security cooperation, political coordination and preparations for a possible SCO development bank. The two foreign ministries also signed a consultation programme for 2026 and 2027. Wang separately met Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, with talks covering the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, major industrial projects, law-enforcement and security cooperation, and closer coordination within the United Nations, the SCO and the China–Central Asia framework. Sergey Lavrov also held separate meetings with Wang Yi and Abbas Araghchi. The Russia–China talks focused on strategic coordination, cooperation within the SCO and international developments, while Lavrov and Araghchi reviewed bilateral relations and major regional and international issues.
The Cholpon-Ata meeting produced no major economic agreement, immediate security commitment or new defence arrangement. Its primary role was to align member states and complete the political and legal groundwork for the Bishkek summit. However, the growing combination of security issues with railways, development financing, industrial projects and regional trade suggests that the SCO is gradually expanding beyond its original security mandate. China emphasised infrastructure, economic connectivity and development mechanisms, while Russia focused on strategic and security coordination. The main test will come in Bishkek, where leaders must decide whether the current proposals will receive funding, implementation mechanisms and clear timelines or remain broad political declarations.