Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The first SCO Plus expert dialogue on security will take place in Samarkand on 5–6 November 2026. Participants will discuss countering terrorism and extremism in the context of advances in digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
The meeting will be chaired by Bakhtiyor Kurbanov, head of Uzbekistan’s State Security Service and a colonel general.
The event will bring together heads and representatives of special services from SCO member states, observer countries and dialogue partners, as well as international organisations and invited guests. A total of 33 delegations from 24 countries and five international organisations are expected to attend.
The central theme will be “Security in the Era of Digital Transformation: Countering Terrorism and Extremism Amid the Development of New Technologies”. Participants will exchange views on how advanced technologies and artificial intelligence are affecting the nature of current security challenges and threats.
The initiative to establish the expert dialogue format was put forward by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He first proposed it at the SCO summit in Astana in 2024.
In 2025, at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO member states in Tianjin, China, participants proposed holding the first dialogue in Samarkand.
Following the meeting, delegation heads intend to identify specific tasks and priority areas for cooperation in combating international terrorism and extremism amid digital transformation.
