OTS Security Cooperation: Secretaries of Security Councils of the Organization of Turkic States met in Baku (Sept 16-18), focusing on regional threats, Middle East spillover risks, and how OTS members can build national AI capabilities for security. Uzbekistan Development Push in Karakalpakstan: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched 11 projects worth $592m and broke ground on 47 more valued at $7bn, spanning energy, digital economy, industry, transport, healthcare and services, aiming to create 8,000 high-income jobs. Counter-Terrorism via AI: INTERPOL’s “Operation Shams II” (with Uzbekistan among participating countries) used AI on 108,076 facial images from jihadist content to identify 126 suspected foreign terrorist fighters, reducing them to 6,362 unique high-quality images for facial recognition processing. Regional Military Drills: Azerbaijan will host the “Power of Unity – 2026” exercise with Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan across three sites, including UAV-enabled joint readiness and standardized training. EU Sanctions Deadlock: EU diplomats are seeking a compromise over sanctions on Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov, with France pushing relief tied to an Azerbaijan prisoner-release deal and other states warning of a “dangerous precedent.” Uzbekistan Infrastructure & Energy: The week also highlighted major infrastructure and energy expansion plans in Karakalpakstan, reinforcing Tashkent’s broader push to attract investment and jobs.