On September 4-5, Tashkent hosts prestigious events again – the Tenth International Scientific and Practical Conference of the RATS SCO and the Second CIS Conference on Combating Terrorism and Extremism.

The joint international conferences will be attended by about 250 representatives from competent authorities of 20 CIS and SCO member states (including SCO observer states and dialogue partners), 9 working structures of the Commonwealth bodies, 2 working structures of the SCO bodies, 22 research and educational organizations, as well as 10 authorized bodies of 6 international organizations, such as the UN, Interpol, EAG, CICA, and others (47 delegations in total).

At the opening of the event, Secretary of the Security Council under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Viktor Makhmudov read the Address of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the conference participants.

As the Head of state emphasizes, the organization of this important international forum and authoritative regional structures, such as the SCO and the CIS, once again confirms the shared commitment and desire to develop practical interaction in ensuring peace, security, and stability in our vast region.

It is noted that the increase in geopolitical tension, the escalation of conflicts, and the decline in the role of global security institutions negatively affect the development of open and effective international cooperation in countering the threats of terrorism and extremism.

The Leader of Uzbekistan defined the most important tasks as further improving the regulatory framework and implementing joint practical activities within the framework of the RATS SCO and the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center, aimed at increasing the effectiveness of international cooperation in preventing and promptly responding to such challenges and threats.

In his speech, Lieutenant General Abdusalom Azizov, Chairman of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, drew the participants’ attention to the fact that the complex and contradictory military-political processes taking place in the SCO and CIS space require our countries to consolidate efforts and coordinate measures to counter international terrorism, religious extremism, and radicalism.

The factors that threaten the security of the SCO and CIS member countries were listed. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the leaders of international terrorist organizations have not abandoned their destructive plans against our states.

“The Government of Afghanistan, based on its capabilities and resources, counteracts international terrorism. The Afghan Special Service is at the forefront of the fight against ISIS and is achieving certain results. In this regard, we cannot leave Afghan partners alone with this problem. The enemy must be defeated together, based on the principle of indivisibility of security”, Lieutenant General Mr. Azizov emphasized.

The importance of assisting Afghanistan in the fight against the “Khorasan Vilayat” was also noted, since the weakening of countermeasures will lead to the strengthening of the group, and this, in turn, threatens the security of our region.

At the same time, the conviction was expressed that only through joint efforts with consistent and coordinated work based on mutual trust, regular exchange of information, and experience in combating international terrorism and extremism and countering cyber threats can we achieve effective results in ensuring stability and security in our states.

As SCO Deputy Secretary-General Nuran Niyazaliyev emphasized in his speech, combating terrorism, extremism, and related crimes is extremely important in the current complex geopolitical conditions.

“We welcome the holding of the Second CIS Conference on Combating Terrorism and Extremism jointly with the RATS SCO forum”, he said. “This approach, when partners in the Commonwealth join our discussion, will undoubtedly serve as a constructive exchange of views on ensuring regional security and stability, as well as contribute to the development of agreed proposals for cooperation in this area”.

The Director of the RATS SCO Executive Committee R. Mirzayev emphasized that current geopolitical processes are creating new challenges to the security and sovereignty of states, primarily the SCO and CIS countries, which is especially relevant in the context of the high level of terrorist threats from ISIS, Al Qaeda and other gangs. 

The head of the Anti-Terrorism Center of the CIS member states, Yevgeny Sysoyev, mentioned in his speech a noticeable decrease in the level of terrorist activity in Afghanistan.

He noted the active work of the Afghan authorities to normalize the situation in the country, counter the terrorist groups, and the desire to strengthen external borders to reduce the infiltration of militants of international terrorist organizations from the zones of regional conflicts.

The fact that there are many people from the post-Soviet states in the ITO makes it essential to consolidate the efforts of the special services of the CIS and SCO countries to combat this group and other international terrorist organizations.

The UN Under Secretary General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov also sent a video message to the participants. In his speech, he touched upon modern methods of combating radicalism, noting that today, criminal groups are actively using new technologies – digital and financial instruments – to achieve their destructive goals. The speaker called on the participants to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation and build trust.

CIS Deputy Secretary-General Nurlan Seitimov drew attention to the increase in the level of representation and expansion of the conference’s geography, especially noting its relevance and demand.

Addressing the conference, First Deputy Chairman of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Major General Botir Tursunov, noted that, like other countries of the world, Uzbekistan has faced various forms of terrorism and extremism over the years of independent development. 

“Particular attention is paid to social and psychological work with former and potential adherents of extremist ideas, their education, employment, and, in general, the creation of conditions for self-realization. These transformations and approaches are already yielding real results and are receiving high-level international recognition. In particular, since 2019, 531 repatriates from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan have been returned to Uzbekistan within the framework of 5 humanitarian actions “Mehr”. They were provided with comprehensive social, medical, and other assistance. As a result, 90.2 percent of repatriates today lead a modern lifestyle, and 9.8 percent profess traditional Islam”, Mr. Tursunov noted. 

It was emphasized that the turning point in many respects was the adoption of the National Strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Counter Extremism and Terrorism for 2021-2026 and the Action Plan for its implementation. These documents outline the main areas of interaction between law enforcement agencies, government and administration bodies, civil society institutions, foreign partners, and international organizations.

The conference continued with panel discussions on the “National experience in countering terrorism and extremism”, “International counter-terrorism cooperation”, and “Scientific and educational support for activities to counter terrorism and extremism”, where participants discussed current challenges and threats to security, developed consolidated effective countermeasures to strengthen cooperation at the international and regional levels. 

In addition, the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, with the coordinating role of the Anti-Terrorism Center of the CIS member states, plans to hold a joint anti-terrorist exercise of the competent authorities of the Commonwealth countries “East-Antiterror 2024”. The training will improve the activities of the competent authorities of the CIS member states in conducting joint anti-terrorist measures to identify and suppress terrorist attacks at critical infrastructure facilities and in crowded places.

As part of the conference, members of representative delegations of foreign states and international organizations laid flowers at the Independence Monument. Laying flowers at this monument by high-ranking guests and official foreign delegations during their visit to Uzbekistan has become a good tradition.

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UzA