New Delhi: The prime minister, Narendra Modi, met the Kyrgyz president, Sadyr Zhaparov, in Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, on Monday. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership between India and the Kyrgyz Republic. The meeting came on Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day, which this year coincided with the opening of the summit.
The talks focused on expanding economic and commercial cooperation, with both sides looking to build on the complementarities between the two economies. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the leaders also discussed strengthening people-to-people ties through increased student exchanges and cultural collaboration.
The MEA spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal, said in a post on X, that the two sides reviewed the “entire spectrum of India-Kyrgyz Republic bilateral relations,” reaffirming close and longstanding ties. “Both sides agreed to further strengthening the strategic partnership including the bilateral economic and commercial cooperation,” Jaiswal wrote, adding that Modi congratulated Zhaparov on Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship of the SCO for 2025-26.
Modi separately congratulated Zhaparov on Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day, noting that the national celebration added special significance to the summit opening on the same day. He also commended the Kyrgyz president for successfully hosting the 26th SCO summit and thanked him for the hospitality extended to the Indian delegation.
The Zhaparov meeting was one of several bilateral engagements for Modi in Bishkek. As reported earlier, he met the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian and reiterated India’s support for efforts toward lasting peace and stability in West Asia amid the region’s ongoing tensions.
Later on Monday, Modi is expected to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin and attend the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games. He is scheduled to address the SCO summit on Tuesday.
The summit, being held on August 31 and September 1, marks 25 years since the SCO’s founding. India has been a full member since 2017, and Modi’s participation is expected to further strengthen India’s engagement with the grouping and its central Asian partners.