UN's Guterres in Bishkek urges world leaders to 'stop this madness' and end wars

UN Secretary-General António Guterres used the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to call on world leaders to "stop this madness" and bring an end to the world's wars. Speaking to Euronews on the sidelines of the gathering, he described the summit as a rare opportunity to deliver this message directly to figures capable of acting on it.

Guterres said he was troubled by conflicts that appear to have no end in sight, pointing to the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as tensions across the Middle East, including Gaza and the standoff between Iran and the United States.

Call to resume talks with Iran

On Iran specifically, Guterres noted that strikes had resumed and urged both sides to exercise maximum restraint. He said the priority now was returning to negotiations that had previously come close to succeeding, in order to restore peace and stability in the region. He also called for freedom of navigation to be fully re-established in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

Engaging a multipolar world

Attending the SCO summit as a guest, Guterres stressed that cooperation with regional blocs — whether the European Union, the African Union or the SCO — has become increasingly central to the UN's work as the world grows more multipolar.

The SCO is marking its 25th anniversary this year in Bishkek. Its ten member states — China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — together represent more than 40% of the global population. A further 15 countries take part as dialogue partners, including Turkey. Leaders present at the summit included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The one-day summit concluded on Tuesday.