The beginning of 2026 was marked by a series of events demonstrating a deep crisis of international law and the erosion of the UN’s peacekeeping role. The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, was abducted, Iran is facing serious internal challenges, and the United States has declared its intention to annex Greenland, disregarding the position of its European allies.
Against this backdrop, deep economic tensions have emerged, threatening to escalate into full-scale trade wars. Yesterday’s seemingly reliable partners are today imposing tariffs on one another due to geopolitical disagreements.
The knot of geopolitical problems is tightening, bringing the collapse of the global security architecture ever closer.
In a situation of profound and potentially protracted uncertainty, the SCO bloc has proven to be among the most insulated from the impact of severe economic shocks caused by geopolitical fault lines.
Despite the challenging external environment, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s area of cooperation remains resilient. Moreover, a number of member states are demonstrating growth in key economic indicators, driven by new cooperation mechanisms, trade diversification, and the development of logistics corridors.
In other words, the SCO is consolidating its status as an increasingly influential global center of power. It is precisely during this critical period that Kyrgyzstan holds the chairmanship of the organization.
One might say that Bishkek is becoming a focal point of global politics. However, the core significance lies elsewhere: this is happening at a moment when new centers of civilizational development are gaining strength, gradually replacing a collapsing system of international relations and global security.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's region of interaction, despite the external environment, is resilient, while a number of countries are seeing growth in key economic development indicators thanks to new mechanisms of interaction, trade diversification, and the development of logistics. In other words, the SCO is now cementing its status as an increasingly powerful global powerhouse, and it is precisely during this crucial period that Kyrgyzstan chairs this international institution.
One might argue that Bishkek is becoming a center of global politics. The more important point, however, is that this is happening at a moment when new centers of civilizational development are gaining influence, gradually replacing a collapsing system of international relations and global security.
Ulugbek Eresheev, head of the SCO Research Center at Kyrgyz National University, noted that Kyrgyzstan is increasingly becoming an active participant in global processes, and that Bishkek’s diplomatic engagement and initiatives will now carry tangible implications for the broader Eurasian space.
"For example, the US President, driven by the slogan 'America First!', is already creating his own alternative to the UN, which it calls a 'peace council.' This is a given, and it is the head of the White House's response to frightening global turbulence. I hope there's no need to explain whose interests will come first in this structure.
Therefore, it is crucial for us that the SCO is already not only establishing itself as a pole of the new world, but also strengthening economically. New production facilities are being established, the transport network is being expanded, and logistics are being diversified. Thanks to this, trade between partners is growing year after year, relatively small countries are finding their niche in the strengthening cooperation between Russia and China, and the SCO also includes countries such as India and Pakistan, as well as our closest neighbors. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye are dialogue partners.
Established mechanisms of interaction between SCO members allow the association to minimize its dependence on external factors. "At the same time, the Eurasian partnership has very broad prospects, so Kyrgyzstan's active and effective diplomacy aimed at intensifying cooperation within the initiative and a timely response to shifts in the global situation will be significant for strengthening the Shanghai Spirit and imbuing it with concrete content," Ulugbek Eresheev emphasized.
Essentially, Kyrgyzstan is becoming a mediator between major partner countries on the Eurasian continent and is participating in the formation of new rules of international interaction.
Statesman and political figure Tokon Mamytov said that the key element of stability in the SCO is that the Organization does not compete with anyone and does not oppose itself to anyone. Partner countries act in accordance with the logic of their own benefit, while improving mechanisms for interaction and economic development, taking into account each other's national interests, on a basis of trust and respect.
"As we see, the rest of the world is moving away from the principle of legal equality of states toward a hierarchical system of force, where the decisive factor is no longer law, but the possibility of coercion. Given that the Kyrgyz Republic chairs the SCO, the significance and responsibility of this mission increases qualitatively.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is one of the few platforms that has survived sanctions, trade, and tariff wars, maintained dialogue between states with different development models and interests, and weathered military and political crises. With the erosion of universal institutions of global governance, the SCO is effectively becoming the pillar of an alternative security architecture based on the sovereign equality of states, non-interference in internal affairs, and consensus.