SCO Leaders To Gather In Moscow For Two-Day Summit
Russia has announced that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State will convene on 17–18 November in Moscow.
Russia has announced that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State will convene on 17–18 November in Moscow.
The summit, chaired by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, will focus on expanding trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
According to the prime minister’s office, in addition to SCO member states, high-level representatives from dialogue partners, observer countries, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Eurasian Economic Union have been invited to attend.
The SCO, founded in 2001, includes Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan as full members. Belarus joined the organisation on 4 July 2024. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while dialogue partners include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Sri Lanka.
It remains unclear whether the Taliban will send a representative to the summit. Mongolia, unlike the Taliban, has previously participated in SCO meetings as an observer state.
In its statement, the Russian prime minister’s office said heads of state and delegates will discuss the SCO’s development strategy through 2035 during the two-day gathering. The summit is expected to place particular emphasis on expanding cooperation in the digital economy, energy, green industry, artificial intelligence, science and innovation, education, culture, tourism, healthcare, sport and youth exchanges.
