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.
Acting CSTO Secretary General Valery Semerikov took part in the Regional Meeting on Countering the Supply of Weapons to Terrorists in Central Asia
15.07.2026
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. The event was organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism with the participation of the Russian side.
The meeting was chaired by Acting UN Under-Secretary-General Alexander Zuev.
A welcoming address on behalf of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was delivered by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lubinsky.
The event was attended by Acting CSTO Secretary General Valery Semerikov, Head of the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center Evgeny Sysoev, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Artur Golovanov, as well as heads of counter-terrorism agencies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
In his speech, Valery Semerikov spoke about the CSTO’s annual permanent operational and preventive operations — “Mercenary”, “Channel”, “Illegal” and “Proxy” — within which systematic efforts are carried out, alongside their main objectives, to seize weapons and explosives. Over the past five years, these operations resulted in the seizure of 8,374 firearms, more than 59,000 rounds of ammunition and 2,000 kilograms of explosives from illicit circulation, with 296 criminal cases initiated. In addition, 46 terrorist attacks were prevented, the activities of 307 terrorist groups were disrupted, and the total volume of seized narcotics exceeded 437 tonnes. Valery Semerikov emphasized that the effectiveness of the special operations has increased due to measures implemented within the Organization and closer cooperation with relevant structures of the CIS, SCO and UN.
Speaking about further steps, the Acting CSTO Secretary General noted that the CSTO Collective Security Council had approved the Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Drug Strategies for 2026–2030, as well as the Plan for improving the Organization’s Collective Forces. The Targeted Interstate Program on strengthening the Tajik-Afghan border is being implemented, which will help reduce tensions in the region.
“To enhance coordination of efforts to counter international terrorism and combat the illicit trafficking of weapons, we are committed to closer cooperation with the CIS, SCO and UN within the framework of existing agreements. In this context, on the sidelines of the International Security Forum held on June 28 in Moscow, we signed a Framework Document on cooperation with the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre,” Valery Semerikov stated.
The participants of the meeting also discussed best practices for countering the use of small arms, improvised explosive devices and unmanned aerial vehicles for terrorist purposes.
