Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has proposed opening a regional office of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in Uzbekistan, reported Trend, citing the Uzbek presidential press service.
Mirziyoyev made the offer at the Aqaba Process meeting on artificial intelligence security in Astana. The proposed office would help Central Asian states report terrorist content online, detect terrorist financing, train specialists and use AI tools in counterterrorism work.
He also put forward an initiative called “Digital Development for the Benefit of Humanity” and backed the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance. In addition, he proposed an international programme, “Enlightenment Against Ignorance in the Digital Age,” to be based at the Centre of Islamic Civilization in Tashkent. It would produce multilingual educational resources, prepare religious leaders to work in the digital information space and support young researchers.
Mirziyoyev said AI brings both opportunities and new security risks, and that its impact depends on how it is used. A UN counterterrorism presence in Tashkent would strengthen Uzbekistan’s role as a security partner for the UN. It would also give the region a permanent channel to international expertise as concerns grow over online radicalisation linked to Afghanistan.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
November 6, 2026