On 3 March 2022, the high-level international conference, Regional Cooperation between Central Asian States within the Framework of the Action Plan to Implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, opened in Tashkent.
The conference was organised by the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The conference was organised by the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The conference brings together about 100 people, including senior officials from Asia, Europe and the Middle East, representatives of international and regional organisations and leading think-tanks in the region's countries.
SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming greeted the participants and noted that the conference's work would help strengthen political trust between the Central Asian countries and multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation. He underscored the region's substantial progress in constructively addressing modern challenges and threats thanks to joint efforts of the Central Asian states.
SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming greeted the participants and noted that the conference's work would help strengthen political trust between the Central Asian countries and multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation. He underscored the region's substantial progress in constructively addressing modern challenges and threats thanks to joint efforts of the Central Asian states.
He noted the UN's central coordinating role in counter-terrorism operations and staunchly supported its efforts to maintain peace, global security and stability and urged the international community to expand cooperation on the counter-terrorism track.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the participants via videoconference. OSCE Secretary-General Helga Maria Schmid, Under-Secretary-General of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office Vladimir Voronkov and Natalia Gherman, Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, also spoke at the event.
The participants will attend several themed sessions on the most pressing counter-terrorism matters, including those on the role of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, in strengthening cooperation between the Central Asian states to implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. At the end of the conference, the delegates will approve the Tashkent Declaration and a revised Joint Action Plan. In these documents, the Central Asian countries will set specific goals to counter terrorism that threatens international peace and security.