RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT “PRESIDENCY OF KYRGYZSTAN” — EDITORIAL USE ONLY SHOTLIST: TIANJIN, CHINA (SEP. 1, 2025) (PRESIDENCY OF KYRGYZSTAN – RESTRICTED) 1. VARIOUS OF KYRGYZ PRESIDENT SADYR JAPAROV SPEAKING DURING SCO+ SUMMIT AS LEADERS OF OTHER MEMBER STATES LISTENTIANJIN, CHINA - SEP. 1: On Monday, Sep. 1, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, describing the bloc as the largest interregional union with a systemic global role. Japarov said the SCO has strengthened its cooperation potential year by year protecting member states against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, while fostering dialogue between Asia and Europe through its new “SCO+” format. He emphasized that the platform now enables not only member states but also observers, dialogue partners, and non-member countries to join SCO-led projects promoting broader integration. At the Tianjin summit, SCO leaders agreed to merge the “observer” and “dialogue partner” categories into a single “SCO Partner” status, with Laos formally admitted as the first new partner. The previous SCO leaders’ summit was held in Kazakhstan in July 2024, where 25 strategic documents on energy, security, finance, and information security were adopted. China will now hand over the SCO chairmanship to Kyrgyzstan, with the next summit to be held under the slogan “25 years of the SCO: together towards sustainable peace, development and prosperity.”