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 Secretary General Valery Semerikov spoke at a field meeting of Council of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly
20.05.2019During the speech, V. Semerikov focused in detail on the most topical issues of activity of the Organization and also the main challenges and threats which member states face. In particular, he expressed concern with the situation developing on the East European direction, namely the growing quantity and scale of NATO exercises, systematic increasing military activity of the Alliance, expansion of its infrastructure at borders of Belarus and Russia. "Under the flag of NATO the American military presence in Europe amplifies" - the Acting Secretary General of the Organization said. The thread, according to him, is caused also by a problem of return of non-strategic nuclear weapon to the territories of nuclear powers.
The CSTO Acting Secretary General noted growth of conflict potential in the world and estimated the situation on the Eurasian region as "difficult with the prospect of further accumulation of tension". Speaking about it, V. Semerikov mentioned the difficult situation remaining on the Caucasian direction in connection with lack of regulation of the conflict in Nagorny Karabakh. At the same time, he noted that "decrease in tension in polemic on this matter as well as directly on the line of contact of the armed forces give grounds to hope for achievement of progress in search of the Karabakh settlement".
Acting Secretary General Valery Semerikov mentioned "an initiative role of Tbilisi in the course of region military development by the North Atlantic Alliance" as the destabilizing factor for the Caucasus.
Among other international problems influencing the level of safety of CSTO member states, the Acting Secretary General of the Organization mentioned the situation around the elimination of the Intermediate-Range and Short-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and also the tasks connected with counteraction to the international terrorism, drug traffic, organized crime and illegal migration.
According to V. Semerikov, Afghanistan remains the center of regional instability. "In this country fighting clashes and acts of terrorism take place.They claim the lives of people and do not allow to restore economy of the state. Especially the steady is a special reason for our concerns tendency to growth of tension on the Tajik-Afghan border disturbs", - Acting Secretary General said. "The organization works actively to provide different effect on rendering the constraining influence and strengthen of the Tajik-Afghan border" - he informed.
Valery Semerikov said that the CSTO management takes drastic measures to improve the military component of the Organization. So, in 2018 between the countries the agreement on conducting in the current year six joint exercises was reached: three in Russia, two in Tajikistan and one in Kyrgyzstan.
Concerning Priority activities of the CSTO during chairmanship of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Organization in 2019, the CSTO Acting Secretary General reported that now the Plan of their realization is implemented for 72 percent. "I am sure by the next session it will have been executed completely" - he added.
