News Desk:
Bishkek (TDV): The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media and Think Tank Summit opened on Monday at the Ala-Archa State Residence’s Enesai Conference Hall, bringing together 250 media leaders, analysts, and diplomats from 26 SCO member and partner states.
The opening ceremony, held with simultaneous interpretation in Chinese, Kyrgyz, Russian, and English, unfolded under the theme “The Shanghai Spirit in the New Era: From Shared Values to Practical Cooperation.”
Sub-themes for the gathering spanned over think tank-media integration, unlocking regional cooperation potential, advancing fairness in global governance, and strengthening strategic coordination among SCO members.
The summit has been jointly organized by Kyrgyzstan’s national news agency Kabar and China’s Xinhua News Agency, reflecting the summit’s dual focus on journalism and analytical cooperation.
Addressing delegates, Head of the Information Policy Service of the Kyrgyz Presidential Administration Dayyrbek Orunbekov said the forum would mark an important step in strengthening information security and expanding intellectual cooperation among SCO states.
He argued that combining the analytical depth of research institutions with the speed and accuracy of journalism would help safeguard against information manipulation, while affirming Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to openness and constructive dialogue within the SCO framework.
Kabar Director Mederbek Shermetaliev framed the summit as central to Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship of the SCO in the year marking the organization’s 25th anniversary, calling it both an honor and a historic opportunity for the country.
He noted that the participation of around 250 representatives from 26 member and partner states demonstrates a shared commitment to strengthening information, analytical, and humanitarian cooperation.
Shermetaliev also warned that rapid digitalization has brought new risks, including disinformation, information manipulation, cybersecurity threats, and external influence on public opinion, making responsible journalism and fact-based information policy key to building trust between states.
The opening session featured a packed lineup of speeches from across the SCO space, according to the official agenda.
Beyond Orunbekov and Shermetaliev, speakers included Xi Yanchun – Vice President of Xinhua News Agency, Liu Jiangping – China’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Kadyrbek Sarbaev – Senior Expert at the SCO Secretariat, and senior figures from Belarus’s Telegraph Agency, Russia’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Tajikistan’s Khovar Agency, and TASS.
Representatives from Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Kazakhstan’s JSC “Qazcontent,” India-China Economic and Cultural Council, and Iran’s Mehr Media Group also addressed the gathering, alongside business and academic voices including Kumtor Gold Company and Uzbekistan’s Academy of Science.
The summit forms part of a broader series of SCO-related engagements in Bishkek this week, as Kyrgyzstan continues hosting rotating chairmanship events across political, economic, and cultural tracks throughout 2026.
