Ahead of the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, the Forum of Think Tanks was held in Bishkek on May 21-22, 2026. The event was organized by the National Institute for Strategic Initiatives under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The Forum focused on discussing new initiatives aimed at further strengthening cooperation among the SCO member states in the areas of security, economy, digitalization, transport and logistics connectivity, as well as humanitarian cooperation.
In his welcoming remarks, Zhandos Shaimardanov, Director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, emphasized the special role of expert and analytical cooperation among the SCO member states amid the transformation of the modern international system and growing global uncertainty. He also highly appreciated the work already carried out to date.
«Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with the SCO countries already amounts to around USD 70 billion, while almost half of our country’s foreign trade is with the member states of the Organization,» noted Z. Shaimardanov.
During the discussion at the second thematic session, the Director of KazISS outlined the prospects for establishing a unified transport and logistics space within the SCO, highlighting Kazakhstan’s significant contribution to the development of transport infrastructure in the Eurasian region. Special attention was also paid to digitalization and the development of artificial intelligence with a view to increasing the efficiency of investment and industrial cooperation within the SCO. In particular, the possibility of creating mechanisms for exchanging data and analytical knowledge was noted, which could contribute to economic integration and strengthen connectivity among the Organization’s member states.
Temirlan Abugali, Expert at the Department of International Security of KazISS, also took part in the event. He spoke at the thematic session dedicated to security and resilience in the SCO region. The expert outlined the key challenges currently facing the states of the region. Particular attention was given to the growing cyber threats, the need to strengthen information resilience amid the expansion of hybrid forms of transnational threats, as well as challenges related to water, food and energy security.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is one of the largest regional organizations in Eurasia, bringing together ten member states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus. This year, the SCO marks its 25th anniversary. Kazakhstan was among the five founding states of the Organization, which over the past quarter of a century has expanded into an association of 10 countries.
