BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (GNP): The SCO Media and Think Tank Forum opened on Monday at the Ala-Archa State Residence in Bishkek, bringing together roughly 250 delegates from 26 member and partner states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to discuss deeper cooperation between media outlets and research institutions.
Organised jointly by Kyrgyzstan’s national news agency Kabar and China’s Xinhua News Agency, the two-day gathering is built around the theme “SCO in a New Era, From Mutual Understanding to Practical Cooperation,” and comes as Kyrgyzstan marks its turn at the SCO chairmanship during the bloc’s 25th anniversary year.
Opening the forum, Dayyrbek Orunbekov, head of the Information Policy Service at the Kyrgyz Presidential Administration, described the event as a milestone for regional information security and intellectual exchange. He said the world has entered a period in which information and technology shape outcomes as decisively as traditional levers of power, placing greater responsibility on journalists and analysts alike to ensure what reaches the public is accurate.
Pairing the depth of academic research with the speed and objectivity of daily journalism, he argued, would guard against manipulation and misinformation while giving audiences access to verified facts.
Orunbekov reaffirmed Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to openness and dialogue within the SCO framework, noting that stronger media and research ties would in turn support the bloc’s cultural, humanitarian and economic goals.
He pointed to the role professional journalism and rigorous analysis play in explaining the scale of infrastructure, transport and investment projects that SCO members are pursuing together, and he expressed hope the forum would generate fresh ideas and joint initiatives that carry the organisation’s cooperation forward.
Speaking alongside Orunbekov, Kabar director Mederbek Shermetaliev framed Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship as both an honour and a chance to reinvigorate the SCO’s founding principles. He called the forum one of the defining events of the country’s chairmanship, noting that the turnout across 26 states reflects a shared appetite among member and partner countries for closer information, analytical and humanitarian collaboration.
He said he expected the gathering to sharpen strategic partnerships and support long-term development across the region.
Shermetaliev also addressed the pressures facing the modern information landscape, observing that while digital technology has made sharing information easier than ever, it has simultaneously opened the door to disinformation, manipulation and cybersecurity risks.
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Meeting those challenges, he said, requires journalism grounded in verified fact and information policy built on trust between states, adding that dialogue between think tanks, joint research and training for young experts would all help strengthen that foundation. Kabar, he said, stands ready to back initiatives that advance information cooperation across the SCO space, particularly efforts to counter false information and promote balanced, objective reporting.
He connected this work to Kyrgyzstan’s broader reform agenda under President Sadyr Japarov, which has prioritised digitalising public administration and improving transparency between government and citizens. In an environment shaped by rapid technological change, he said, information itself has become a bridge of trust between state institutions and the public, one that depends on responsible and forward-looking decisions from those who manage it. He closed by describing the forum not merely as a venue for exchanging views but as a shared effort to shape the region’s future, one built on dialogue and equal partnership.
Discussions during the forum’s plenary and thematic sessions are also touching on the digital transformation of media, humanitarian cooperation and the broader challenges confronting the global information space, as delegates work to translate Sunday’s opening remarks into concrete steps for collaboration among SCO members.
