Bishkek (TDI): Interior and public security ministers from Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states convened in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for talks on law enforcement cooperation, with artificial intelligence-driven crime emerging as the most urgent concern.
The gathering, held under the chairmanship of Kyrgyzstan, brought together ministers and senior officials from SCO member states alongside the bloc’s Secretary-General, the director of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, and the Secretary-General of INTERPOL. Representatives from a CIS organized crime coordination bureau also attended.
In remarks that set the tone for the day’s discussions, SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev warned that global security is confronting new challenges that require national law enforcement systems to adapt quickly, singling out the rapid growth of internet-enabled crimes.
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The merging of cybercrime with drug trafficking and organized crime, he said, is a matter of particular concern; a signal that criminal networks are increasingly blending digital tools with traditional illicit enterprises.
The Secretary-General used the forum to push for structural reforms within the SCO itself. “Active work is underway to modernize the SCO and adapt it to contemporary conditions,” he said.
He also stressed that the most important element of this process is improving existing mechanisms to respond to complex and volatile security threats through dialogue and cooperation.
On the legal front, Yermekbayev called for a comprehensive update of the SCO’s treaty and legal framework on crime-fighting, and for strengthening the organization’s ties with INTERPOL and other international bodies.
The meeting concluded with a signing ceremony for the Protocol of the Meeting, followed by a joint press conference.
