SCO - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 3

Uzbek Security Chief: SCO Must Help Afghanistan to Fight Islamic State Khorasan Province

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is holding its 10th regional anti-terrorism conference in Tashkent. The conference is being held on September 4 and 5. At the conference's plenary session, Lieutenant General Abdusalam Azizov, the head of Uzbekistan's State Security Service, emphasized that the member countries of the SCO must work together to fight against international terrorism, extremism, and radicalism. “The Afghan government is fighting international terrorism based on its capabilities and resources, and the Afghan special service is leading the fight against the Islamic State and achieving results. We must fight together against the enemy,” Azizov said. Regarding the branch of Islamic State known as Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which has claimed responsibility for several fatal attacks in SCO member countries, including the attack on the Crocus City concert hall outside Moscow earlier this year, Azizov said: “It is important to help Afghanistan in the fight against ISKP, because the weakening of countermeasures will lead to the strengthening of this group, which, in turn, poses a threat to the security of the region.” ISKP was formed in 2014 as a collective of defectors from groups including al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), and former Taliban fighters from Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is estimated that ISKP has between 4,000 and 6,000 members. Since the Taliban killed its leader Sanaullah Ghafari in 2023, it is unclear who runs the group.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO Guterres U.N.

U.N. Chief to Deliver Peace Message during Central Asia Tour

This week, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is in Central Asia, where he will call for peace at a time of heightened international tension. Guterres arrived in Uzbekistan on the weekend and will also travel to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. He´ll be in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Thursday to address the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional group that was founded in 2001 by China, Russia and several Central Asian countries. The SCO is a forum for discussion of security, economic and political issues that is viewed in some circles as a counter to Western power and alliances, although Central Asian countries also have longstanding ties with Europe and the United States. Guterres will highlight “our common commitment” to multi-lateralism, international law and human rights, and is ”also expected to underscore that today’s deep global divisions are preventing countries from coming together to resolve the two serious threats emerging from climate change and digital technologies,” United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in New York on Friday. Guterres delivered a similar message at last year’s SCO meeting, which was hosted via video-conference by India. The U.N. chief said divisions and geopolitical tensions were growing even as the need for countries to work together was becoming more urgent. Delegates at last year’s SCO meeting mostly avoided direct references to Russia’s war against Western-backed Ukraine, a major source of geopolitical tension that has disrupted food and fuel supplies to many countries. China-West tensions are also on the rise. The SCO’s members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, India and Pakistan. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said he expects Belarus to become a new member of the group at the Astana meeting.

IT SCO

Almaty Hosts First SCO Digital Forum

The first SCO Digital Forum, bringing together IT and communication agencies from countries within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), was held in Almaty on February 1st. The forum is part of the three-day Digital Almaty 2024 event that began today. The SCO comprises China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The forum was chaired by Kazakhstan’s minister of digital development, innovations and aerospace industry, Bagdat Musin. In his welcoming remarks Mr Musin said that "Kazakhstan has achieved significant success in the field of digitalization, GovTech, and IT development, confidently leading among the Central Asian countries." Mr Musin highlighted the successful Kazakhstani IT startups at the international techno-park Astana Hub. "The advantage and attractiveness of Astana Hub to international companies lie in visa and tax preferences, extraterritoriality, the possibility of online registration, and the launch of acceleration programs. Among the Central Asian [countries], Astana Hub [has become] the first partner of Google for Startups, within which a joint acceleration program 'Silkway Accelerator' was developed. Over the course of two years of collaboration, the result is a twofold increase in the number of graduate companies; these companies have already entered the markets of the Middle East, the USA, and Europe.”. Mr Musin proposed the creation of an alliance of IT parks in SCO countries to further grow innovative ecosystems, and to support startup projects and IT companies. Another area for cooperation could be the construction of fiber-optic communication lines. Utilizing Kazakhstan's transit potential will provide significant advantages for SCO countries in connecting to the internet and improving connectivity across the Eurasian continent, Mr Musin said. He proposed building fiber-optic cables along the Russia-Kazakhstan-Iran route, with access to the Indian Ocean.