The SCO summit in Bishkek is a display of selective morality, where members sign dozens of documents about a “just world order” while carefully avoiding any condemnation of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The same body that loudly defends Iran’s sovereignty remains silent on the largest European conflict since 1945, revealing an organization built less on shared values than on mutual protection.
Selective Condemnation and the Ukraine Silence
In 2025, the SCO explicitly condemned US and Israeli strikes on Iran as a gross violation of international law and an infringement of sovereignty. That condemnation was reaffirmed in July 2026 after Khamenei died, with strong language and collective solidarity for Tehran. The documents defending Iran’s sovereignty repeat the principles of territorial integrity and non-use of force.
Ukraine gets silence. Since the first day of the full-scale invasion, not a single word has been issued. The same principles are carefully avoided when they would apply to the largest war on European soil since 1945. That is deliberate design.
This isn’t an anti-Western alliance. It is becoming a mutual protection racket for regimes that want sovereignty for themselves and impunity for their friends.
A New Normative Shield
The summit is now adding a new formulation: attempts to “discredit state authorities” in SCO member states are unacceptable. If that language is elevated to the Bishkek Declaration, it becomes a collective normative shield. Sanctions, political pressure, and external criticism get reframed as interference and violations of sovereignty.
This is Russia’s agenda, and it is convenient for China, Iran, Belarus, and every Central Asian regime that wants to protect itself from accountability. The language offers a shared defense against outside scrutiny while preserving internal control.
The Putin Meetings
The Putin-Erdoğan meeting deserves the closest attention. The Kremlin already put Ukraine, the Black Sea, and trade on the agenda. Any talk of “shipping security” or “de-escalation” is an attempt to constrain Ukrainian operations and link maritime safety to restrictions on strikes against Russian infrastructure.
The Putin-Pashinyan meeting is just Moscow using the SCO as a pressure platform against Armenia’s European course. The interests inside the organization are too fractured for it to function as a true anti-Western alliance, but it is consolidating into a bloc that demands sovereignty for itself and impunity for its friends.
