Samarkand will host the inaugural expert-level SCO Plus Security Dialogue on Nov. 5-6. The dialogue’s theme is “Security in the era of digital transformation: Countering terrorism and extremism amid the development of new technologies.” The event will be chaired by the chief of the State Security Service Bahodir Qurbonov.
The initiative to launch the format came from Shavkat Mirziyoyev and was first announced in 2024 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana. In 2025, at a meeting of the organization’s Council of Heads of State in Tianjin, it was proposed that the first expert-level SCO Plus Security Dialogue be held in Samarkand.
Heads and representatives of the special services of SCO member states, observers and dialogue partners will attend, along with representatives of international organizations and invited guests. Thirty-three delegations from 24 countries and five international organizations are expected to arrive.
Participants are expected to exchange views on how advanced technologies and artificial intelligence affect modern threats and risks. At the end of the talks, the heads of delegations will set out specific tasks and priorities for cooperation against international terrorism and extremism in the digital era.
