On June 26, 2025, the 22nd Meeting of Ministers of Defense of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States was held in Qingdao under the chairmanship of the China.
The event was attended by the heads of defense agencies of the Organization's member states, SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, and Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Ularbek Sharsheev.
During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the current situation in global and regional security, as well as further ways to strengthen SCO cooperation in the defense sector.
In his speech, SCO Secretary-General N. Yermekbayev noted the important significance of cooperation between the defense agencies of SCO member states for their ability to comprehensively respond to modern security challenges and threats, further strengthen confidence-building measures in the military sphere, conduct joint military exercises, and deepen exchanges in military-medical cooperation.
The meeting participants were informed about the work being carried out on the instructions of the leaders to modernize SCO activities, the political and diplomatic response measures being taken, and the progress of preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization, which will take place in Tianjin in the autumn of this year.
On the sidelines of the Meeting, the SCO Secretary-General held meetings with some heads of delegations and gave interviews to the media.
The next Meeting of Ministers of Defense of SCO member states will be held in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2026.