Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Monday evening (October 19) to represent India at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), scheduled for Tuesday, October 20.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, the CHG meeting will centre on strengthening multilateral cooperation among SCO member states — particularly across trade, economy, investment, connectivity, innovation and cultural-humanitarian exchanges. Delegates are also expected to review ongoing cooperation initiatives and consider decisions on the organisation's financial and institutional functioning.

Before departing New Delhi on Monday, Singh posted on X: '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. The SCO HoGs meeting will focus on strengthening cooperation in culture, connectivity, economy, innovation, investment and people to people ties, besides reviewing progress in financial and institutional functioning.'

The previous CHG meeting was held in Moscow, Russia, on November 18, 2025, where India was represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. This time the defence minister has been deputed, reflecting the breadth of Delhi's SCO engagement.

The MEA said India remains actively engaged across various SCO mechanisms, contributing through initiatives in startups and innovation, digital public infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges.

Sources: Nation Press; ANI via NewKerala; India Sentinels citing the Ministry of Defence (October 19, 2026).