Rajnath Singh Leaves for Tajikistan to Represent India at SCO Meeting

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left New Delhi for Dushanbe on Monday to represent India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Heads of Government meeting in Tajikistan on October 19–20.

“Leaving New Delhi for Dushanbe. Looking forward to representing India at the SCO Heads of Government (HoG) meeting in Tajikistan on 19-20 October 2026,” Singh said in a post on X.

The meeting will focus on strengthening cooperation in culture, connectivity, the economy, innovation, investment and people-to-people ties. Leaders are also expected to review ongoing initiatives and consider decisions concerning the organisation’s financial and institutional functioning, according to the Ministry of Defence.

For India, the gathering offers an opportunity to discuss practical, mutually beneficial cooperation with other member states. The ministry said India continues to contribute to SCO initiatives in areas including start-ups, innovation, digital public infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges.

The previous Council of Heads of Government meeting was held in Moscow on November 18, 2025, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar representing India.

The SCO has 10 member states: Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

With inputs from ANI