SCO Plus Summit Opens in Bishkek with Global Leaders in Attendance

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — The Kyrgyz capital hosted the opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Plus summit on Tuesday, with a series of high-profile arrivals marking the start of the expanded dialogue platform.

Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov personally received visiting leaders at the Yrys Ordo Congress Hall. Among those welcomed were Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Also present were Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Isa, Vietnam's Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Laos' President Thongloun Sisoulith, and Mongolia's President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was also seen arriving for the event.

The SCO, established in 2001 by China, Russia, and four Central Asian states, was originally conceived as a security forum. Over the past quarter-century, it has expanded to include ten member nations: Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. A number of other countries hold the status of "dialogue partners."

Turkey, which has held dialogue partner status since 2012, is using the platform to bolster its regional position. President Erdogan has repeatedly expressed interest in full membership, viewing the SCO as a complement to its traditional Western alliances. Ankara's EU accession bid has remained stalled for over two decades, even as its trade relationship with the bloc continues under a 1995 customs union agreement.