Pakistan PM attends SCO Summit in Kyrgyzstan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan undertook a three-day official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic from August 31 to September 2, 2026, at the invitation of President Sadyr Japarov. The visit centered on participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit in Bishkek, marking the 25th anniversary of the SCO. During the summit, Pakistan assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-2027, with the next summit to be hosted in Islamabad in 2027. On the sidelines, PM Shehbaz held bilateral meetings with leaders of participating countries, including reportedly Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He also attended the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games. On September 2, he held bilateral discussions with President Japarov, reviewing the full spectrum of Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations and discussing cooperation in trade, investment, energy, regional connectivity, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. Several memoranda of understanding were expected to be signed between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan during the bilateral engagement, according to diplomatic sources. The visit aimed to consolidate momentum from recent high-level exchanges and strengthen the partnership between Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.