Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A ceremony was held to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the UN Counter-Terrorism Office (CTO) and the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies (ISMI) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in New York on 5 December.

Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, Vladimir Voronkov, and the Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Eldor Aripov, signed the document during the ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York.

In his speech at the signing ceremony, Vladimir Voronkov thanked President Shavkat Mirziyoyev for his personal attention to the development of comprehensive cooperation with UN structures. He also expressed gratitude to the government of Uzbekistan for its financial contribution to the activities of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office.

The parties emphasized that ISMI became the first "think tank" in Central Asia and joined the so-called "group of privileged partners" with whom the UN signed cooperation agreements. The head of the CTO noted that the UN highly values the expert potential of the Institute and expects its broad involvement in addressing the Organization’s challenges.

Voronkov expressed confidence that the Memorandum would contribute to elevating Uzbekistan’s bilateral cooperation with the UN to a qualitatively new level and enriching it with practical content.

In turn, ISMI Director Eldor Aripov highlighted the high level of interaction between ISMI and the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, thanking the entire team of the Counter-Terrorism Office for productive partnership. He stated that the signing of the Memorandum was one of the examples of the successful implementation of the provisions of the "Road Map" for cooperation between Uzbekistan and the UN initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2022.

During the event, the parties also acknowledged that the Memorandum was a logical continuation of the effective partnership between ISMI and the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, providing a solid legal basis for bilateral interaction.

The Memorandum outlines the main principles and directions of cooperation, including the exchange of publications and research information, implementation of joint projects within the framework of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and resolution of other mutually interesting issues.

Currently, ISMI, in collaboration with the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, has accumulated considerable experience in the joint implementation of the UN Counter-Terrorism Agenda in the region. An example of this is the successful international high-level conference on the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia, held in Tashkent in March 2022.

During this conference, several important documents were adopted, including the Joint Action Plan for the Implementation of the Revised UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the "Tashkent Declaration," confirming the commitment of the Central Asian states to cooperation within the new action plan.

This year, two regional events on cybersecurity and new technologies, as well as combating terrorism financing with cryptocurrencies, were organized in Tashkent. Currently, joint work is underway between the parties to establish a Regional Expert Council in Central Asia under the auspices of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, consisting of leading experts on rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees.

The initiative to create such a Regional Council was voiced by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the mentioned conference in Tashkent. In this regard, an agreement was reached during the event to hold the first meeting of the Council in Tashkent next year with the participation of UN Deputy Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov.

In general, the parties noted that the conclusion of this Memorandum opens a new page of long-term and constructive cooperation between the UN Counter-Terrorism Office and ISMI in addressing such an important and relevant task as countering terrorism in Central Asia.