Dushanbe: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Tajikistan’s Dushanbe Monday evening on a two-day official visit to represent India at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), scheduled to be held on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the meeting will focus on strengthening multilateral cooperation among SCO Member States, particularly in the areas of trade, economy, investment, connectivity, innovation and cultural-humanitarian exchanges. The meeting is also expected to review the progress of ongoing cooperation initiatives and consider decisions relating to the Organisation’s financial and institutional functioning.
“Leaving New Delhi for Dushanbe. Looking forward to representing India at the SCO Heads of Government (HoG) meeting in Tajikistan on 19-20 October 2026. The SCO HoGs meeting will focus on strengthening cooperation in culture, connectivity, economy, innovation, investment and people to people ties, besides reviewing progress in financial and institutional functioning,” Defence Minister Singh posted on X before leaving New Delhi on Monday.
According to the MEA, India remains actively engaged in various SCO mechanisms and continues to contribute to regional cooperation through initiatives in areas such as startups and innovation, digital public infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges.
“The meeting will provide an opportunity for India to exchange views with other SCO Member States on advancing practical and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organisation. The previous CHG meeting was held in Moscow, Russia, on 18 November 2025, where India was represented by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar,” the MEA stated.
The SCO comprises 10 member states — India, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It has two observer states – Afghanistan and Mongolia and 15 dialogue partners – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
In September, India highlighted the three pillars of ‘Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity’ for international trade at the 25th meeting of Ministers of the SCO Member States Responsible for Foreign Economic and Trade Activities held in Tajikistan’s Dushanbe, according to an official statement.
The meeting reviewed ongoing cooperation among SCO member states in the areas of economic and trade activities and exchanged views on measures to further deepen trade and economic cooperation within the SCO framework.
In his intervention on behalf of India, Additional Secretary, Commerce, Yashvir Singh underscored the significant economic potential of the SCO and the importance of translating this potential into tangible outcomes through increased intra-SCO trade, lower trade costs, resilient supply chains, and enhanced connectivity.
Referring to the vision articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO Summit in Bishkek, India highlighted the three pillars of Security, Connectivity and Opportunity, underscoring their economic significance, particularly in strengthening supply-chain resilience, developing efficient and trusted connectivity, and expanding opportunities for businesses through greater market access.
(IANS)
