PM Modi’s SCO visit is loaded with expectations on BRICS Summit and UNSC election
The Prime Minister undertook a four-day visit to Uzbekistan (August 29-30) and the Kyrgyz Republic (August 30-September 1) to attend the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek
The visit's diplomatic agenda extends beyond the summit itself — it is being used to build momentum ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit that India will host in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026
Engagements with Central Asian and Iranian counterparts on the sidelines are also seen as an opportunity to shore up support for India's campaign for a non-permanent UN Security Council (UNSC) seat for the 2028-29 term
The visit revives attention on the India-Central Asia Summit mechanism, which has not convened since its inaugural edition despite an agreed two-year cycle
In Tashkent, discussions with the Uzbek President covered trade, connectivity, critical minerals, defence, and education under the India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
The SCO is a Eurasian political, security, and economic grouping headquartered in Beijing, evolved from the "Shanghai Five" border-confidence mechanism (1996) among China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan into a formal organisation on 15 June 2001, when Uzbekistan joined as a sixth founding member. It functions as one of the principal platforms through which India engages the Central Asian republics, Russia, China, and Iran on security and connectivity issues together.
Key Details
- Founded 15 June 2001 in Shanghai; Charter signed at St. Petersburg (2002), in force from 19 September 2003
- India and Pakistan became full members on 9 June 2017 at the Astana Summit, after India held Observer status from 2005
- Iran joined as a full member in July 2023; Belarus joined in 2024, taking total full membership to 10 states
- Institutional structure: the Secretariat (Beijing) handles administration; the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure or RATS (established 2004) coordinates counter-terrorism cooperation
- The Bishkek gathering (August 31-September 1, 2026) is the 26th annual SCO Summit, held roughly 25 years after the grouping's founding
The Bishkek summit is the multilateral centrepiece of the visit, but the current news frames it primarily as a staging ground for bilateral and plurilateral diplomacy — with India, Iran, and the Central Asian states using summit sidelines to advance separate agendas (BRICS coordination, UNSC canvassing) rather than SCO business alone.
The 18th BRICS Summit and India's 2026 Chairship
India holds the BRICS chairship for 2026 and will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." This is India's fourth BRICS chairship after 2012, 2016, and 2021, and its second time hosting the summit itself (after 2021, held virtually) and a further precedent from the in-person 2016 Goa summit.
Key Details
- BRICS today comprises 11 full members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (the original BRICS), plus Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE (admitted from January 2024)
- The 2026 summit venue is the Bharat Mandapam complex in New Delhi; ten partner countries have also been invited, including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
- BRICS operates by consensus with no permanent secretariat; the chair rotates annually among members and sets the year's agenda and summit host
- Because Iran, Russia, and several Central Asian partner-invitees are also SCO members meeting Modi in Bishkek just two weeks before the BRICS Summit, the Central Asia visit functions as informal groundwork for BRICS coordination
Meetings on the margins of the Bishkek SCO Summit with leaders who are also confirmed BRICS Summit attendees or invitees allow India, as the incoming 2026 BRICS host, to pre-align positions before the formal New Delhi gathering.
India's Campaign for a UNSC Non-Permanent Seat, 2028-29
India has formally launched its campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2028-29 term, framed under the "SHANTI" vision (Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust, and Integrity) articulated by the External Affairs Minister. The election is scheduled for June 2027 at the UN General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority is required; if successful, India's term would begin 1 January 2028.
Key Details
- India has previously served eight non-permanent terms on the UNSC, most recently 2021-22; the 2028-29 term is being contested for the sole Asia-Pacific regional seat, with Tajikistan also in the race
- The UNSC has 15 members: 5 permanent (P5: US, UK, France, Russia, China) with veto power, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly (Article 23 of the UN Charter), with five seats renewed each year
- India has separately pursued permanent UNSC membership reform through the G4 (India, Japan, Germany, Brazil) grouping, distinct from this non-permanent-seat campaign
- Canvassing support from regional blocs (Central Asia, SCO members, BRICS partners) for the 2027 UNGA vote is a standard diplomatic practice ahead of Security Council elections
Central Asian states and Iran, all UN General Assembly voting members, are among the audiences India is engaging during the SCO visit, making bilateral meetings on Bishkek's sidelines relevant to shoring up votes for the 2027 UNSC election.
The India-Central Asia Summit Mechanism
India institutionalised summit-level engagement with the five Central Asian republics through the first India-Central Asia Summit, held virtually on 27 January 2022, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and the region. Leaders agreed at that summit to hold the format every two years, but a second edition has not yet taken place as of this visit.
Key Details
- The 2022 summit was attended by the presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
- Outcomes included agreement to institute an India-Central Asia Summit every two years and establish a dedicated secretariat function to coordinate follow-up
- India's connectivity push to the region relies on the Chabahar Port (Iran) and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), both routes that bypass Pakistan
- Despite the agreed biennial cycle, no second India-Central Asia Summit has convened since January 2022, making this visit's bilateral format (rather than a fresh multilateral summit) the primary vehicle for regional engagement in 2026
The visit's Central Asia-focused bilateral leg in Tashkent is being read as a workaround for the stalled Summit mechanism, with officials reportedly using the trip to plan the long-pending next edition of the India-Central Asia Summit.
- Visit dates: August 29-September 1, 2026 (Uzbekistan then Kyrgyz Republic)
- 26th SCO Summit: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, August 31-September 1, 2026
- SCO founded 2001; India full member since 9 June 2017 (Astana); current membership 10 states
- 18th BRICS Summit: New Delhi, September 12-13, 2026; India's fourth BRICS chairship (after 2012, 2016, 2021)
- BRICS full membership: 11 states (expanded January 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE)
- India's UNSC campaign: 2028-29 term, election in June 2027, term begins 1 January 2028 if elected; India has served 8 non-permanent terms previously (most recent 2021-22)
- First (and so far only) India-Central Asia Summit: 27 January 2022, virtual format, five Central Asian republics