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SCO meeting in Dushanbe: Rajnath Singh to represent India at heads of government talks

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The SCO meeting of heads of government opens in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 19-20 October 2026, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India, the Ministry of Defence said on 18 October. The 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of Government (CHG) will focus on trade, the economy, investment, connectivity, innovation and cultural-humanitarian exchanges. It is being held under Tajikistan’s SCO chairmanship for 2026.

SCO meeting: File photo: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at a public engagement
File photo: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at a public engagement Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit; file photo).

What is on the table at the SCO meeting in Dushanbe

The ministry said the meeting is expected to review progress on ongoing cooperation initiatives and consider decisions on the organisation’s financial and institutional functioning. The Times of India, citing Interfax and the Russian trade mission in Tajikistan, reported that the agenda covers trade and investment, transport and logistics, industrial cooperation, the creative and digital economy, innovation and financial interaction. The CHG adopts the SCO budget and handles economic cooperation. It meets every year and is separate from the Council of Heads of State, the SCO’s top decision-making body. The Hindu reported that China’s Premier Li Qiang is visiting Tajikistan from 18 to 20 October to attend, and that Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus are expected to send heads of government or senior officials.

Key Facts

  • Dates: 19-20 Oct 2026, Dushanbe
  • Indian representative: Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri
  • Meeting: 25th SCO Council of Heads of Government
  • Focus: trade, connectivity, innovation, cultural ties
  • Previous CHG: Moscow, 18 Nov 2025 (EAM Jaishankar)

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: India's line on start-ups, digital public infrastructure and people ties

India became a full member of the SCO in 2017, together with Pakistan. It remains active in SCO mechanisms and contributes through initiatives on start-ups and innovation, digital public infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges, the ministry said. It said the Dushanbe meeting gives India a chance to exchange views with other members on practical, mutually beneficial cooperation. At a meeting of SCO trade ministers in Dushanbe in September, India called for simpler customs procedures, paperless trade, electronic document exchange and stronger multimodal connectivity, the Times of India reported, citing the Commerce Ministry. India also pointed to cooperation in agriculture, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, electronics, renewable energy and green hydrogen, and wider use of digital cross-border payments.

Who represented India at the previous SCO heads meeting

The previous CHG meeting was held in Moscow on 18 November 2025, when External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented India, the ministry said. The Hindu, citing a senior government official, reported that Rajnath Singh will also hold a bilateral meeting with Tajikistan during the two-day visit. It also reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to join the meeting virtually. Modi usually attends the separate SCO leaders’ summit, and did so at the 26th Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from 31 August to 1 September this year, the paper said.

Why It Matters: SCO heads-of-government talks set the economic and connectivity agenda with Central Asian partners that matter for India's Eurasian outreach.

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Source: PIB (Ministry of Defence), 18 Oct 2026 · Times of India · The Hindu · Outlook India

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