The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional alliance of countries, celebrated its 25th anniversary in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on September 1. The event included a symbolic "family photo" of member leaders and the signing of 28 agreements, including commitments to improve cooperation on nuclear safety and security. Twenty-one heads of state and government attended the summit, underscoring the SCO's growing influence. The organisation represents a significant portion of the world's population and GDP, and its members collectively cover a quarter of the Earth's landmass. Despite its size and influence, the SCO has struggled to function as a unified decision-making body. It has not successfully mediated disputes among its members or resolved conflicts that occur outside of formal meetings. Instead, the SCO has often served as a platform for powerful members to advance their bilateral interests, using the forum to send political messages to their domestic audiences. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his speech at the summit to call for a unified approach to counterterrorism, emphasizing that no country should have "double standards" in addressing the issue. His remarks were widely seen as a veiled criticism of Pakistan, which has long been accused of supporting militant groups in the region. Modi also urged respect for the sovereignty of all nations, a statement that could be interpreted as a rebuke of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's infrastructure projects in disputed territories. He also directly addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging an end to the war in Ukraine and highlighting the human cost of the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin, facing international isolation due to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, attended the summit with a packed schedule of bilateral meetings. He met with leaders from several SCO member states as well as non-members such as Turkey and Armenia. In contrast, Chinese President Xi Jinping was more selective, meeting only with Putin before heading to Egypt for a state visit. This move may signal a shift in Beijing's priorities, suggesting that the SCO is becoming less central to China's diplomatic strategy compared to direct engagement with individual countries or other forums like Brics. While the leaders of the SCO's three major powers—India, Russia, and China—each gained specific benefits from the summit, none of them resolved the deep divisions that exist among them. The true message of the 25th anniversary was not the declaration signed by the leaders, but the fact that the summit allowed each of these dominant figures to advance their own agendas without achieving any collective consensus or resolution of their differences.