President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quite at home in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday, where heads of state from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathered for a major summit. After a meeting with close ally Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Erdoğan addressed the SCO Plus event as a representative of SCO dialogue partner Türkiye and later held apparently warm meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. In his address, Erdoğan described the SCO as a “rising star” and praised its potential to ensure peace and stability.
“Representing approximately 3.5 billion people and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $35 trillion, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has, over the past 25 years, become an indispensable component of the multipolar order. We regard the organization, which brings the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East together on a common platform, as a supporter and complement to the United Nations. Above all, the SCO has a structure that aligns with our multidimensional foreign policy, which places regional ownership at its center. As Türkiye, we are assuming responsibility for resolving the conflicts taking place around us through dialogue and diplomacy, and we will continue working for peace, tranquillity and stability both in our region and throughout the world,” Erdoğan said in his speech.
Under Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye has diversified its diplomatic instruments and substantially changed its approach to international affairs in its bid to become a global actor. Once pivoted primarily toward the West, it has explored ties with Asia-based international groups and championed reforms at the United Nations, particularly to the current structure of the UN Security Council.
“We believe that the organization can play a role not only in ensuring peace and stability, but also in areas such as establishing uninterrupted and secure transport corridors and ensuring energy supply security, which are of great importance for the prosperity of our peoples. I would particularly like to underline Türkiye’s critical role in facilitating the SCO’s access to Western markets, especially through the diversification of energy corridors and the management of geopolitical risks. We wish to further align the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor Initiative with the Belt and Road Initiative, and in this context, we attach great importance to cooperation within the organization. We will endeavour to advance our cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” Erdoğan stated.
He noted that one of the fundamental objectives of the quest for a just order is to leave future generations a more stable, prosperous and liveable world.
“Issues such as climate change, irregular migration, terrorism, transnational crime and food security now pose threats to many countries. Türkiye aims to do its part in combating the adverse effects of climate change on different regions of the world. To this end, we will host the COP31 Summit in Antalya on Nov. 11-12, 2026. I would like to express my great pleasure at the prospect of welcoming you, our valued friends, at this important summit as well,” he said.
“Drawing motivation from the Shanghai Spirit, our organization will play an important role in building a truly multipolar world. I wish Pakistan, which will take over the chairmanship from Kyrgyzstan, every success, and I hope that our meetings will contribute to the well-being of our region and the shared future of our countries,” he concluded.
Türkiye joined the SCO as a Dialogue Partner in 2013 and was granted the chair of the international body’s Energy Club for one year in 2016. Ankara has previously expressed its desire for full membership in the SCO.
The SCO traces its roots to the “Shanghai Five” mechanism – China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – before Uzbekistan joined as the sixth member. Today, the organization includes 10 member states, two observers and 14 dialogue partners across Asia, Europe and Africa.
Erdoğan also spoke about the Mecca Defense Alliance, as it was officially named on Monday following a meeting of Turkish, Saudi and Pakistani officials in Istanbul.
“The alliance will make significant contributions to regional and global peace and stability,” Erdoğan said, noting that the alliance was based on regional ownership and collective deterrence.
“But as we speak about peace, let us remember that Israel’s attacks killed 74,000 people, mostly children and women, in Gaza and Lebanon. The entire region pays the price due to this aggressive policy,” he said.
