Rajnath Singh Represents India at 25th SCO CHG Meet in Tajikistan

Q: 1. Who represents India at the 2026 SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting?

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh represents India at the summit.

Q: 2. When and where is the 25th SCO CHG meeting taking place?

The meeting takes place on October 19–20, 2026, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Q: 3. What is the primary focus of the SCO Heads of Government meeting?

The council focuses primarily on economic cooperation, multilateral trade, connectivity corridors, startups, digital public infrastructure, and administrative budgeting.

Q: 4. Who represented India at the previous SCO Heads of Government meeting?

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar represented India at the meeting in Moscow on November 18, 2025.

Q: 5. What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

The SCO is a regional organisation that provides a platform for its member states to discuss shared challenges and promote cooperation in economic, social, and other areas.

Q: 6. What issues will the 2026 meeting discuss?

The meeting will discuss trade, economic cooperation, investment, connectivity, innovation, cultural and humanitarian exchanges, and the SCO’s financial and institutional functioning.

Q: 7. How does India contribute to SCO cooperation?

India participates in SCO mechanisms and promotes cooperation in start-ups, innovation, digital public infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges.

Updated: 19 Oct 2026

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Rajnath Singh Represents India at 25th SCO CHG Meet in Tajikistan

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to represent India at the 25th Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The high-level regional summit takes place on October 19–20, 2026.

The meeting brings together prime ministers and senior representatives from SCO member states to strengthen economic cooperation, trade linkages, and regional security frameworks across Eurasia.

Strategic Agenda for the Dushanbe SCO Summit

The Dushanbe gathering focuses on reviewing existing economic agreements and advancing new multilateral growth frameworks.

Key Agenda Focus Areas:

Trade & Investment: Streamlining supply chains, reducing trade costs, and encouraging intra-bloc investment.
Connectivity & Infrastructure: Building robust transit networks and logistical corridors linking South and Central Asia.
Innovation & Startups: Leveraging technology, entrepreneurship, and digital solutions to drive sustainable economic growth.
Cultural Exchanges: Fostering educational partnerships, tourism, and people-to-people connections among member nations.
Institutional Operations: Approving the annual SCO budget and evaluating administrative functioning.

India’s Core Priorities at the SCO Framework

India continues to advocate its strategic vision based on three core pillars: Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity.

During the discussions, New Delhi aims to share expertise in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), unified payment platforms, and national startup ecosystems to accelerate service delivery across Central Asia.

Context: Transition from Moscow 2025 to Dushanbe 2026

The Council of Heads of Government serves as the executive decision-making body for economic and administrative affairs within the SCO, meeting annually under rotating national chairmanships.

Summit Parameter	Previous Edition (2025)	Current Edition (2026)
Meeting Number	24th SCO CHG Meeting	25th SCO CHG Meeting
Host City & Nation	Moscow, Russia	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Date Held	November 18, 2025	October 19–20, 2026
Indian Representative	EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar	Defence Minister Rajnath Singh