Islamabad (GNP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a phone conversation from London with his Uzbekistan counterpart, Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov. The two discussed issues of shared interest, including preparations for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting in Kyrgyzstan.
Both ministers reaffirmed the strong, friendly relationship between Pakistan and Uzbekistan and agreed to hold a further meeting on the margins of the SCO summit to advance their bilateral agenda.
Between August 3 and 5, 2026, the SCO’s Council of National Coordinators convened by videoconference, chaired by Kyrgyzstan. Delegates reviewed draft documents intended for the September 1 Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek and worked through other logistical matters tied to the summit’s preparation.
According to the SCO’s official website, the heads-of-state summit is set for September 1 in Bishkek. The organization’s ten members are Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The anticipated leaders attending include:
- Kyrgyzstan — President Sadyr Japarov, hosting the summit
- Belarus — President Alexander Lukashenko
- India — Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- Iran — President Masoud Pezeshkian
- Kazakhstan — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
- China — President Xi Jinping
- Pakistan — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
- Russia — President Vladimir Putin
- Tajikistan — President Emomali Rahmon
- Uzbekistan — President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Delegations from all ten member states took part in July’s SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Cholpon-Ata, where the Bishkek summit was a central topic of discussion.
Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Minister, Jeenbek Kulubaev, confirmed at that meeting — during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi — that President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and take part in the SCO summit, with his arrival expected on August 31.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also expected in Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed he accepted President Japarov’s invitation to the summit, though as the head of an international body rather than a nation-state, he isn’t counted among the so-called “21 heads of state.”
That figure of 21 stems from a separate but overlapping event: the World Nomad Games, whose opening ceremony falls on August 31, just a day before the SCO summit convenes on September 1. Kyrgyz official Askat Alagozov clarified that the 21 figure reflects the total number of state leaders expected in the country around these two events combined — some attending as SCO members, others through SCO+ formats, and others combining a state visit with the Games’ opening.
Kyrgyzstan has additionally invited leaders from the Organization of Turkic States to attend the Nomad Games as honorary guests, though none of their participation has been formally confirmed yet.
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As of August 20, all ten SCO member states have confirmed attendance, and formal invitations have gone out to the leaders of Egypt and Turkmenistan. Kyrgyzstan’s presidential administration has yet to release a complete list of confirmed visiting heads of state for the August 30–September 1 window, with a fuller announcement expected closer to the summit as delegation details are finalized.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
