Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan 24 July 2026(Kamran Raja): Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs concluded with progress on preparations for the upcoming SCO Summit scheduled to take place in Bishkek later this year.
Speaking to the media following the ministerial meeting, Lavrov described the discussions as productive and said the participating countries had agreed on a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and addressing emerging security challenges.
According to Lavrov, draft documents prepared for consideration by SCO Heads of State include proposals to establish a Universal Centre for Countering New Challenges and Threats and a Centre for Combatting Drug-Related Crime. The proposed institutions would be formalised through the adoption of their respective statutes during the Bishkek Summit.
Lavrov also said the Foreign Ministers adopted a joint statement outlining their assessment of the current international situation and reaffirming commitments to implement previous decisions taken by SCO Heads of State and Government. He added that additional sector-specific documents covering cooperation in areas such as energy, artificial intelligence, healthcare and other fields are expected to be finalised before the summit.
Responding to questions regarding his recent meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lavrov discussed what he described as the “Anchorage agreements.” He said Russia had arrived at the discussions prepared to work on proposals that he stated had been presented by the United States and approved by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Lavrov said Russia accepted what he characterised as compromise proposals with the expectation that they could contribute to halting hostilities and opening negotiations on a broader political settlement. He argued that the proposed framework ultimately did not move forward, attributing this to the position of Ukraine and raising questions about the role of European partners.
The Russian Foreign Minister further alleged that continued military assistance and intelligence support provided to Ukraine by Western countries had contributed to the failure of the proposals. He claimed that the ongoing supply of weapons, drones and other technologies enabled continued military operations, while also asserting that intelligence support and communications services remained available to Ukraine.
The remarks reflect Russia’s official position on the conflict. Ukraine, the United States and European governments have consistently rejected many of Moscow’s characterisations of the war and maintain that military assistance to Ukraine is intended to support its defence and sovereignty.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is expected to hold its Heads of State Summit in Bishkek later this year, where leaders are anticipated to review the ministerial recommendations and consider new initiatives on regional security, economic cooperation and technological development.