Kyrgyzstan is hosting a major summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as world powers navigate significant geopolitical changes and growing tensions.
Leaders and senior officials from SCO member states are expected to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, trade, energy and closer political ties. The summit comes at a time when conflicts and competition between major powers are reshaping international relations.
The SCO, which includes countries such as China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Iran, has become an important forum for cooperation across much of Asia. Its members have increasingly sought to strengthen economic and security cooperation while promoting a more multipolar international order.
The summit is also being closely watched because of the differing interests of its members. While some countries maintain close strategic relationships with Russia and China, others have their own competing regional priorities.
Analysts say the meeting could provide an opportunity for SCO members to coordinate their positions on global issues, expand economic partnerships and strengthen the organisation's influence at a time of major geopolitical shifts.