Samarkand to Host SCO Security Dialogue
The first SCO Plus expert dialogue on security will bring together special services representatives to address terrorism and extremism amid digital transformation.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Terrorism
Samarkand will host the first SCO Plus expert dialogue on security on November 5-6, 2026, chaired by Bakhtiyor Kurbanov, head of Uzbekistan's State Security Service. Delegation heads plan to identify priority areas for cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism.
Why it matters
The dialogue marks the first event of its kind and focuses on how new technologies, including artificial intelligence, affect current security threats. It follows a proposal by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made at the SCO summit in Astana in 2024.
The dialogue will draw 33 delegations from 24 countries and five international organisations, according to the organisers' expected attendance figures. Specific cooperation outcomes and agreed tasks remain undetermined ahead of the meeting.
The players
Bakhtiyor Kurbanov
Kurbanov chairs the dialogue as head of Uzbekistan's State Security Service, the country's principal intelligence and security agency.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Mirziyoyev is the President of Uzbekistan and originated the proposal for the expert dialogue format at the SCO summit in Astana in 2024.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance whose member states include China, Russia, and several Central Asian countries.
The details
The expert dialogue is structured around special services representatives and international organisations exchanging views on digital transformation and countering terrorism. The central theme is 'Security in the Era of Digital Transformation: Countering Terrorism and Extremism Amid the Development of New Technologies.'
Timeline
2024: Mirziyoyev first proposed the dialogue format at the SCO summit in Astana.
2025: The Council of Heads of State meeting in Tianjin, China proposed holding the first dialogue in Samarkand.
November 5-6, 2026: The first SCO Plus security dialogue will be held in Samarkand.
Political Context
The dialogue builds on the SCO's established counterterrorism cooperation framework by adding a focus on how emerging digital technologies reshape security threats. Its format as a meeting among special services representatives distinguishes it from the organisation's broader heads-of-state summits.
The dialogue is a diplomatic gathering of security services and does not carry direct public safety instructions for residents. Readers following counterterrorism policy can track the outcomes of the November 2026 meeting for any announced cooperation priorities.
The takeaway
The Samarkand dialogue reflects a growing focus among security services on how new technologies such as artificial intelligence alter the nature of terrorism and extremism. Its outcomes in November 2026 will show whether this digital focus translates into concrete multilateral cooperation.
What happens next
The Samarkand dialogue is scheduled for November 5-6, 2026, when delegation heads are expected to identify specific priority areas for cooperation.
Further reading
For background on counterterrorism cooperation trends, see Terrorism.
