Rajnath Singh Arrives In Tajikistan For 25th SCO Heads Of Government Meeting

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Monday evening for a two-day official visit to represent India at the 25th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government, scheduled for Tuesday.

Before departing New Delhi, Rajnath Singh said on X that he looked forward to representing India at the meeting on October 19–20, 2026.

Leaving New Delhi for Dushanbe. Looking forward to representing India at the SCO Heads of Government (HoG) meeting in Tajikistan on 19-20 October 2026.

The SCO HoGs meeting will focus on strengthening cooperation in culture, connectivity, economy, innovation, investment and people to people ties, besides reviewing progress in financial and institutional functioning.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 19, 2026

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the meeting will focus on strengthening cooperation among SCO member states in trade, economic affairs, investment, connectivity, innovation and cultural-humanitarian exchanges.

Participants will review ongoing initiatives and consider decisions concerning the organisation’s financial and institutional functioning.

The MEA said India actively participates in SCO mechanisms and contributes to regional cooperation through initiatives involving startups, innovation, digital public infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges.

The meeting will allow India to exchange views with other members on advancing practical and mutually beneficial cooperation.

The previous Council of Heads of Government meeting took place in Moscow on November 18, 2025, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar representing India.

The SCO comprises 10 member states: India, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The organisation has, however, two observer states and 15 dialogue partners.

In September, India highlighted the three pillars of ‘Security, Connectivity and Opportunity’ at an SCO meeting on foreign economic and trade activities in Dushanbe.

Representing India, Commerce Ministry Additional Secretary Yashvir Singh stressed the bloc’s economic potential and called for greater intra-SCO trade, lower trade costs, resilient supply chains and improved connectivity.

India emphasised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of strengthening trusted transport links, expanding market access and creating more opportunities for businesses across the region.

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