On July 15, 2026, the High-Level Regional Meeting “Enhancing Capacities to Prevent the Supply of Weapons to Terrorists in Central Asia” was held in Moscow, organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism with the participation of the Russian side.
On July 14, 2026, a working meeting was held at the CSTO Secretariat between CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov and UN Assistant Secretary-General Alexander Zuev.
From July 7 to 9, second staff talks were held in the Russian Federation on the organization and conduct of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) command-and-staff exercise “Interaction-2026”, the special reconnaissance exercise “Poisk-2026”, and the logistics support exercise “Echelon-2026”.
In accordance with the 2026 Action Plan of the Coordinating Council of Heads of the Competent Authorities for Countering Illicit Drug Trafficking of the CSTO Member States, and as part of the Russian Federation's priorities during its 2026 CSTO Chairmanship, the sub-regional counter-narcotics operation “Kanal – Amber Coast” was conducted from June 29 to July 3, 2026. The operation was aimed at disrupting trafficking routes for narcotic drugs, their precursors and analogues, new psychoactive substances, and potent substances into the CSTO area of responsibility, neutralizing international transnational drug trafficking groups, dismantling clandestine drug production facilities, undermining the economic foundations of the drug trade, including the laundering of drug proceeds.
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.
