The key facts

  • On November 6, Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed participants of the first SCO Plus expert dialogue on security in Samarkand
  • According to him, cyberspace has become a key arena of confrontation, and internet platforms a tool of radical propaganda and recruitment
  • The event was organized at Uzbekistan's initiative; it is attended by heads of special services of SCO states, observers and partners

Address in Samarkand

On November 6, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed participants of the first SCO Plus expert dialogue on security issues, taking place in Samarkand. According to Gazeta, the head of state said that the development of digital technologies, artificial intelligence and global communications is profoundly changing the nature of transnational threats: alongside opportunities for progress, they are creating fundamentally new vulnerabilities.

Key points of the address

“It would be no exaggeration to say that cyberspace has become a key arena of confrontation, where, alongside traditional methods, network attacks, manipulation of public consciousness and disinformation are increasingly being used,” Gazeta quotes the president as saying. He also expressed concern that internet platforms have turned into a tool for propagating radical ideology, recruiting supporters, attracting financial resources and forming extremist groups that recognize no state borders. According to Mirziyoyev, young people remain the most vulnerable group: destructive forces deliberately target young people's minds and spread ideas of intolerance, which risks undermining interethnic and interreligious harmony.

A call for cooperation

The president emphasized that no state alone can counter threats that know no borders, and called for acting preemptively: identifying risks, exchanging information and developing coordinated approaches to security. Addressing the heads and representatives of special services of SCO member states, observers and dialogue partners, he said that the organization's ability to respond to new challenges largely depends on the coordinated work of the special services. According to Kun.uz, the event was organized at Uzbekistan's initiative, and in 2026 the SCO marks the 25th anniversary of its founding; Uzbekistan, as a co-founder, attaches particular importance to strengthening its role as a multilateral platform for stability and inclusive development.