Lao President Attends SCO Plus Summit, Discusses Contribution to Multipolar World Order

President Thongloun Sisoulith of the Lao PDR arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, on August 31 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Plus (SCO Plus) Summit, held from August 31 to September 1, 2026. President Thongloun and his high-level delegation were warmly welcomed at Manas International Airport by Akylbek Japarov, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic, a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lao diplomatic representatives and officials from both sides. The President is attending the summit at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov. The summit is being held under the theme, “The United Nations as a Key Element of a Fair World Order: the Contribution of the SCO Plus States to the Formation of a Multipolar World.” The gathering brings together heads of state and government and representatives of SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners. The Lao PDR is participating for the first time as an official SCO Dialogue Partner. During the summit, President Thongloun is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders to exchange views on strengthening bilateral cooperation. President Thongloun Sisoulith of the Lao PDR received Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), on August 31 on the sidelines of the SCO Plus meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Domestically, the 1st Congress of the Party Cell of the Committee for Investment Promotion and Management (CIPM) was held on August 31, 2026, under the chairmanship of Mrs Phonevanh Outhavong, Secretary of the CIPM Party Committee. An inter-sectoral coordination group between Vietnam and Laos conducted an inspection in the northwestern province Dien Bien from August 26 to 28 to review the implementation of the 2007 Hanoi Agreement on facilitating the movement of people, vehicles and goods across the shared border, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on August 29. The Vietnamese Embassy in Laos hosted a banquet in Vientiane on August 28 to mark the 81st anniversary of the success of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945–2026) and the National Day of Vietnam (September 2, 1945–2026). UNICEF’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Sanjay Wijesekera, met senior members of the Government of the Lao PDR in Vientiane this week, calling for sustained investment in children as the country prepares to graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in November.