Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (August 31, 2026) paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial here during his visit to Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

He also met people from various communities in Bishkek.

The Prime Minister arrived in Bishkek on Sunday (August 30, 2026) to attend the 26th SCO Leadership Summit and hold bilateral meetings with leaders of member countries on the sidelines.

He was received at the airport by Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic. A traditional Kyrgyz dance performance was also held to welcome him.

Mr. Modi was greeted with chants of “Vande Mataram” at his hotel, where he also witnessed a yoga performance to the patriotic song “Maa Tujhe Salaam” and a Lord Shiva-themed cultural dance.

Mr. Modi is visiting Kyrgyzstan at the invitation of President Sadyr Zhaparov to participate in the SCO summit being held on August 31-September 1.

The 10-member SCO is marking the 25th anniversary of its founding this year.

The grouping was established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.

In his departure statement on Saturday (August 29, 2026), Modi said he looked forward to advancing India’s vision for the region, anchored in “security, connectivity and opportunity”, and working with fellow SCO members for a region free from “terrorism, separatism and extremism”.

Mr. Modi arrived in Bishkek after a two-day visit to Uzbekistan, during which the two countries decided to elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and set a target of $5 billion in annual trade by 2030.

 Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli of Nepal became one of the first foreign leaders to meet President Xi Jinping of China on Saturday (August 30, 2025). During the meeting, Mr. Oli highlighted Nepal’s “strong objection” to India-China restarting trade through the Lipu Lekh Pass that Kathmandu considers a part of Nepal’s sovereign territory, the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing said in a press statement.

“Referring to the recent understanding reached between India and China on border trade through Lipu Lekh Pass, the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister stated that the territory belongs to Nepal and Government of Nepal has registered strong objection on the same,” said the press statement. Referring to the discussion between the two teams, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai also reiterated the Nepalese position on the Lipu Lekh Pass and said, “According to the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, the entire area to the east of Mahakali river is part of the sovereign territory of Nepal.”

Prime Minister Oli is visiting Tianjin as a special guest of China for the summit and requested President Xi to support Nepal’s bid for membership in the SCO. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry has announced that PM Oli will address the SCO Plus summit on September 1.

Nepal had earlier objected to India-China agreement reached on August 18 during the visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi for restarting of border trade between India and China through three Himalayan passes including the Lipu Lekh. India had described Nepal’s objection as “untenable” saying, “India remains open to constructive interaction with Nepal on resolving agreed outstanding boundary issues through dialogue and diplomacy.”