Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 19 and 20 October 2026 for the 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government; the previous meeting was in Moscow on 18 November 2025.
WHAT HAPPENED
The Ministry of Defence announced on 18 October 2026 that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on 19 and 20 October 2026 to represent India at the 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG). The meeting is to discuss widening multilateral cooperation among SCO members, with stress on trade, economy, investment, connectivity, innovation and cultural and humanitarian exchanges, and to review ongoing cooperation and the organisation's financial and institutional matters. India has contributed to regional cooperation through start-ups and innovation, digital public infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges. The previous CHG meeting was held in Moscow on 18 November 2025, where Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar represented India.
EXAM ANGLE
- The SCO was founded in 2001 in Shanghai (headquarters in Beijing); India became a full member in 2017. The Council of Heads of State is its highest body, and the Council of Heads of Government deals with economic and budget matters.
Published on 18 Oct 2026. Source: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence.