Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral meetings with Tajikistan's Prime Minister Qohir Rosulzoda and Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Dushanbe on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. Singh is representing India at the summit, marking a significant diplomatic engagement at the multilateral forum.

Key Bilateral Meetings

In his meeting with Prime Minister Rosulzoda, Singh underlined the deep civilisational ties and people-to-people links that bind India and Tajikistan. Sharing details on X, Singh wrote, 'Delighted to meet H.E. Mr Qohir Rosulzoda, Prime Minister of Tajikistan at the commencement of SCO Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe. Underlined the longstanding civilisational ties and deep people-to-people links between India and Tajikistan.'

Singh also met Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref on the sidelines of the same meeting. Posting a picture with Aref on X, Singh noted, 'Pleasure to meet H.E. Mr Mohammad Reza Aref, First Vice President of Iran on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe.'

India's Strong Stance on Terrorism at SCO

Addressing the SCO CHG meeting, Singh delivered a pointed message on terrorism, stating that it 'not only harms innocent lives but also disrupts investment and commerce' and 'radicalises societies.' He called for the collective elimination of the entire ecosystem of terrorism, rejecting any double standards in dealing with it. 'There can be no justification for terrorism. There can be no double standards in dealing with it, and there can be no place for those who finance, support, or provide safe haven to terrorists. The entire ecosystem of terrorism must be firmly and collectively eliminated,' he said.

This stance is consistent with India's long-held position at multilateral forums, particularly in the context of cross-border terrorism. Notably, Singh also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks at the SCO Summit in Bishkek, where Modi had called upon the organisation to take concrete steps on security, connectivity, and opportunity — a message Singh described as 'particularly relevant for the Council of Heads of Government.'

Defence Cooperation with Tajikistan

Ahead of the multilateral session, Singh had on Monday met Tajikistan's Defence Minister Emomali Sobirzoda in Dushanbe. The two sides discussed strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, with emphasis on capacity building and training. 'Had a productive discussion with Defence Minister of Tajikistan in Dushanbe on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of Government Meeting. We exchanged views on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation in areas of mutual interest with emphasis on capacity building and training,' Singh posted on X.

India's Strategic Presence at SCO

India's active engagement at the SCO CHG reflects the country's broader strategy of deepening ties with Central Asian nations and maintaining diplomatic channels with regional powers including Iran. The SCO, which now includes several major Asian economies and security partners, has become an important forum for India to articulate its foreign policy priorities on terrorism, connectivity, and regional stability. This comes amid a period of shifting geopolitical alignments across Eurasia, making India's presence and voice at Dushanbe particularly significant.

Singh's engagements are expected to feed into broader bilateral frameworks in the months ahead, with defence and strategic cooperation high on the agenda.