On March 3-4, 2022, Tashkent hosted a High-Level International Conference on “Regional Cooperation of the countries of Central Asia in the framework of the Joint Plan of Action for the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy”, which was timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Joint Action Plan (JAP).
At the opening ceremony, an address was read on behalf of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and a video message from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. In addition, during the meeting, OSCE Secretary General H.Schmid, Deputy UN Secretary General, Head of the Counter-Terrorism Directorate V.Voronkov, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Central Asia, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia N.Gherman, Secretary General of SCO Zhang Ming, heads of delegations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
This conference summed up the results of the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the Joint Action Plan for Central Asia and provided an opportunity to get acquainted with the unique experience of the implementation of the UNGCCC in this region.
In his speech, the head of the Turkmen delegation, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Vepa Hajiyev, expressing gratitude to the organizers of the current meeting, noted the strategic importance of the Central Asian region, in which the comprehensive and integrated implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy began on a systematic basis.
It was emphasized that it was these factors that led to the adoption of the first Joint Plan on November 30, 2011 in Ashgabat, which, in turn, demonstrated a high degree of responsibility of the national governments of the region.
The past 10 years of practical implementation of these documents show the effectiveness of a multi-level approach to the implementation of key areas of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy on the regional and sub-regional tracks, they serve as an effective model for application in other regions of the planet, V. Hajiyev added.
Within the framework of the conference, four breakout sessions were held in the form of panel discussions for each of the four areas of the GCTS. Several side events also took place on the sidelines of the conference, including those dedicated to the role of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in strengthening cooperation between the Central Asian states on the implementation of the UN GCTC, on financial support for counter-terrorism programs, etc.
In addition, during the visit, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan V. Hajiyev had the meetings with the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, the head of the Counter-Terrorism Directorate V. Voronkov, with the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Ms. Teri Hakala, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin and Executive Director of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICBMA) Kairat Sarybay.
The high-level meeting approved an updated Joint Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the region of Central Asia, aimed at combating the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism.