Tashkent, 20-21 November 2025 — A delegation of the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), headed by Deputy Secretary General Farid Damirli, took part in the 11th International Scientific and Practical Conference of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO RATS), held in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
During the session on international counter-terrorism cooperation, the CICA Deputy Secretary General highlighted the efforts undertaken by CICA Member States to combat the terrorist threat. As early as the first CICA Summit in 2002, the heads of state or government adopted the Declaration on Eliminating Terrorism and Promoting Dialogue among Civilizations. The Sixth CICA Summit, held in Astana on 12-13 October 2022, adopted another important document in this area, the CICA Plan of Action on the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
The Deputy Secretary General emphasized that countering terrorism is an integral part of the new challenges and threats dimension of the CICA Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures. Thematic seminars and training activities are regularly conducted within the framework of CICA on counter-terrorism, violent extremism, illicit drug trafficking, various forms of transnational crime and human trafficking. Member States also engage in voluntary exchanges of experience and best practices, making a significant contribution to the strengthening of regional and international security.
Farid Damirli reaffirmed the CICA Secretariat’s commitment to continue cooperation in counter-terrorism with the SCO, its regional structures, including the RATS, and other international partner organizations.
The SCO has been a Partner Organization of CICA since 2014, when the respective Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the secretariats of the two regional associations. In 2017, the CICA Secretariat and the SCO RATS also signed the Protocol on Cooperation. It has become a tradition for the CICA Secretariat to participate in the SCO RATS scientific and practical conferences, held annually in the Uzbek capital.
