The 12th Southern Information Security Forum “Infoforum Sochi 2026” is taking place in Sochi, Russia, from June 30 to July 3. On July 1, the Forum's plenary session brought together representatives of federal and regional authorities, regulatory bodies, leading companies, and international organizations to discuss current challenges in the protection of critical infrastructure, the development of artificial intelligence, and international cooperation.
On June 30 – July 1, 2026, Saint Petersburg hosted a series of events chaired by Alexander Kurenkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, with the participation of heads of the competent authorities of the CSTO member states responsible for emergency prevention and response.
From June 24 to 26, 2026, CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov paid a working visit to the Republic of Tajikistan at the personal invitation of President Emomali Rahmon.
From June 24 to 26, second staff talks were held in the Republic of Kazakhstan on the organization and conduct of the joint exercise “Rubezh-2026” with units of the Central Asian Collective Rapid Deployment Forces (CAR CRDF).
The CSTO Acting Deputy Secretary General Samat Ordabayev took part in a special event on deradicalization at the CIS venue
28.10.2025
On October 28, 2025, at the headquarters of the CIS Executive Committee in Minsk, a special event was held on the topic “Synergy of the CIS, the CSTO, and the SCO approaches to deradicalization: challenges and opportunities.” The event was held under the chairmanship of the Republic of Tajikistan in the Commonwealth and was aimed at strengthening practical cooperation between the three leading regional organizations.
The forum brought together leading experts and heads of relevant agencies. The event was also attended by the SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev, the CIS Deputy Secretary General Nurlan Seitimov, representatives of the CIS Anti-Terrorism Centre, the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS SCO), the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, as well as diplomats and experts from the member states.
Samat Ordabayev outlined the current security challenges in the CSTO space.
“We are seeing an increase in the number of regional conflicts and the emergence of qualitatively new challenges and threats to regional and global security. The proximity of “zones of instability” directly to the borders of our states is a cause for particular concern,” Samat Ordabayev stressed.
He also noted that the threat of international terrorism and related risks, including drug trafficking, cross-border movement of militants, and illegal financial transactions, was increasing significantly.
“In this context, cooperation and coordination of efforts between various regional organizations, primarily such as the CIS, the CSTO, and the SCO, appears to be extremely important in terms of strengthening the security space in Greater Eurasia,” the CSTO representative said.
Particular attention in the speech was paid to the prospects for institutionalizing cooperation between the three organizations. Samat Ordabayev highlighted the importance of the “Roadmap for the Development of Cooperation between the CIS, the CSTO, and the SCO”, signed by the secretaries-general of the organizations on the sidelines of the recent SCO summit. As a practical step forward, he proposed considering the creation of a coordination mechanism that would ensure constant interaction between the CIS, the CSTO, and the SCO in the field of deradicalization.
One of the outcomes of the event was a proposal to create an effective platform for sharing experiences, discussing current threats, and developing coordinated strategies to counter radicalization, especially among young people. The forum participants reached a common understanding of the need to strengthen cooperation between experts from the member countries of the three organizations in order to develop sustainable mechanisms for countering destructive ideologies.
