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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged a brief handshake ahead of the family photograph at the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
The interaction, captured by cameras at Bishkek’s Yrys Ordo Congress Hall, also included Russian President Vladimir Putin. A video of the three leaders engaged in a handshake has gone viral on social media.
At the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek, PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping exchanged handshakes with President Vladimir Putin. The summit, themed ‘Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity,’ is attended by leaders including Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also attending the summit, which marks 25 years since the grouping was established.
The two-day summit, which began on Monday, is being held against the backdrop of heightened global tensions, including the fallout from the US-Israel war with Iran, which has disrupted global energy and financial markets, as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
SCO FAMILY PHOTO: THE BODY LANGUAGE TELLS A STORY 👀
PM Modi’s interactions before the group photo drew attention — a handshake with Xi Jinping, followed by a noticeably warm exchange with Vladimir Putin, including smiles and a friendly pat on the back.
As leaders took their… pic.twitter.com/5boCkUsUxj
— Subodh Kumar (@kumarsubodh_) September 1, 2026
This year’s summit is being held in Bishkek under the theme, “Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.”
VIDEO | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
Source: AFP/PTI (Only for use in India)
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) pic.twitter.com/lXRI9rdLaC
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2026
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn are also expected to attend the summit.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s position that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward to resolve conflicts while calling called for zero tolerance towards terrorism.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Addressed the SCO Summit in Bishkek. This Summit is special because we are marking 25 years since the start of SCO. Here are the points I’ve raised in the Summit: It’s time to look at the SCO agenda for the next 25 years. India’s position is clear…We must transform our shared geography into shared opportunities. We must work on the three pillars of Security, Connectivity and Opportunity.”
He said that the SCO vision is fighting the menace of terrorism. He said, “We must dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens. Countries that use terrorism as an instrument of state policy and provide shelter and support to terrorists must receive a strong message that terrorism can never be a strategic asset.”
PM Modi spoke about the importance of connectivity, technology, innovation, startups and youth engagement, while announcing India’s readiness to host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum.
“Strong and reliable connectivity further shared development. India supports all initiatives that connect markets, facilitate trade and open new avenues for development. The real measure of our success should be: How many new opportunities have our efforts created for young people? How many new markets have opened for our entrepreneurs? How much have our farmers benefited from technology? And how much has the quality of life of our citizens improved,” he said.
With inputs from ANI
