The key facts

  • The visit to Astana is scheduled for November 5–6 at the invitation of Tokayev and Abdullah II
  • The Central Asia leaders' meeting is devoted to AI security and countering its use for terrorist purposes
  • The Aqaba Process is an initiative of King Abdullah II, running since 2015

Working visit to Astana

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a working visit to Astana on November 5–6, at the invitation of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and King Abdullah II of Jordan. This was reported by the press service of the head of state, as cited by Gazeta.uz; the same information, referring to the official announcement, was also reported by UzNews.uz, Daryo.uz and Zamon.uz.

What the meeting will be about

The main item on the program will be participation in the meeting of the leaders of the Central Asian states within the Aqaba Process. According to the press service, the agenda is devoted to ensuring security in the field of artificial intelligence, countering its use for terrorist and extremist purposes, and strengthening international and regional cooperation in responding to new technological challenges and threats. Notably, the initiative, originally created to combat terrorism and extremism, is this time expanding its scope to the technological sphere — this is the first mention of AI in the Aqaba Process agenda in the press service's reports.

What is the Aqaba Process

The Aqaba Process is an international initiative launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II. It is aimed at strengthening international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism, sharing experience, and coordinating joint efforts in the field of security. The sources do not provide details of the visit program beyond participation in the meeting itself — no announcements have been made about bilateral contacts or documents to be signed.