Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on April 28 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting.
The high-level gathering will focus on terrorism, extremism, and regional security challenges involving member states such as China, Russia, and India.
Singh will join defence ministers from all SCO nations, including China’s Dong Jun, to discuss counter-terrorism strategies, joint military exercises, and intelligence sharing. The meeting comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and aims to strengthen multilateral defence cooperation across Eurasia.
For India, the Bishkek engagement represents a key opportunity to advance defence diplomacy in Central Asia. Singh is expected to reiterate India’s call for decisive action against radicalisation and cross-border terrorism, consistent with his previous SCO addresses.
India and Kyrgyzstan share longstanding defence ties through joint training programs and officer exchanges. Recent discussions between the two nations have focused on technical collaboration and defence-industrial partnerships.
China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun is also visiting Russia and Kyrgyzstan during the same period, underscoring the SCO’s growing role as a platform for both multilateral and bilateral defence diplomacy.
Founded in 2001, the SCO has evolved into a major Eurasian forum for security and economic cooperation. Kyrgyzstan, as the current chair, will host a series of ministerial meetings culminating in the SCO Summit later this year.
