Uzbekistan Offers to Host Regional UN Counterterrorism Office at Astana Summit

Central Asian leaders and Jordan’s King Abdullah II met on November 6 to discuss how terrorist groups could use artificial intelligence to recruit members, coordinate their activities, and spread propaganda. At the Aqaba Process summit, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev offered to host a Central Asian office of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism. The proposed office would help Central Asian countries set up channels for reporting terrorist content and detect terrorist financing, according to the Uzbek presidential press service. Co-hosted by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Abdullah II, it is the first time Central Asia has hosted the Aqaba Process. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and representatives of international organizations also attended. Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev represented Kyrgyzstan, while Parliamentary Speaker Sahiba Gafarova represented Azerbaijan. [caption id="attachment_60177" align="aligncenter" width="1900"] The Aqaba Process summit in Astana on November 6, 2026. Image: Uzbek presidential press service.[/caption] From Social Media to Artificial Intelligence King Abdullah launched the Aqaba Process in 2015, which takes its name from the Red Sea city of Aqaba where the first meetings were held. The initiative was originally designed to coordinate international efforts against terrorism and violent extremism, particularly in the Middle East. Unlike international organizations with permanent membership, it brings participants together to discuss specific threats and does not adopt binding decisions. Over the past decade, the agenda has changed considerably. As early as 2019, a meeting in the United States addressed the use of the internet and social media by terrorist organizations. Representatives of technology companies were brought into the discussions, as countering extremist propaganda increasingly required cooperation with digital platform operators. In February 2026, Aqaba Process participants met at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK to discuss security threats posed by drones and how to regulate their use. Government representatives, experts, and technology companies took part in the discussions. In June, a meeting in New York focused in part on extremist recruitment through online games. Representatives of international organizations, the gaming industry, and civil society joined the discussions. In Astana, participants turned their attention to generative artificial intelligence. Modern AI models can produce text, images, and videos in minutes, translate messages into different languages, and imitate real people's voices. For terrorist organizations, such tools could make it easier to produce propaganda and reach audiences beyond traditional linguistic and geographic boundaries. Fabricated videos and audio recordings presented as statements by politicians, religious leaders, or security officials pose a particular danger. AI can also automate conversations and tailor messages to individual interests, making recruitment attempts on social media and messaging platforms more difficult to detect. In May 2024, three Spanish tourists were among those killed in an attack in Afghanistan’s Bamyan province. Days later, a group calling itself Khurasan TV circulated a video featuring an AI-generated newsreader in a simulated newsroom. A synthetic voice read out Islamic State Khorasan Province’s claim of responsibility in Pashto. Researchers at Afghan Witness traced at least eight such videos to Khurasan TV, which they said appeared to...