UNIPATH STAFF
Tajikistan hosted an international conference on countering terrorism in May 2019, warning that cooperation is necessary to prevent violent extremists from trying to topple governments in Central Asia.
The conference, titled “International and Regional Cooperation on Countering Terrorism and its Financing Through Illicit Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime,” attracted representatives from about 50 countries and 25 international and regional organizations.
Tajikistan helped organize the conference along with the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The conference included foreign ministers, heads of security agencies, representatives of civilian organizations and diplomats. A big topic of discussion was how nations can stop the flow of money to finance terrorist groups.
Conference attendees also debated the issue of rehabilitation and reintegration of thousands of families and children of Daesh fighters captured in northern Syria.
Tajikistan has been lenient toward former terrorist sympathizers who renounce their participation in foreign military operations. The goal is to reintegrate repentant radicals into civilian life.
EU representatives expressed interest in supporting programs to help countries, including Tajikistan, deal with a large number of returning foreign fighters and their families.
Marcel Pesko, director of the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre, warned that Tajikistan’s long, tense border with Afghanistan cannot be ignored by the international community.
Sources: Interfax, OSCE, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, News.tj