28 April marks the Day of the CSTO Joint Staff. It should be recalled that on 28 April 2003, in Dushanbe, the Collective Security Council, guided by the need to establish a military staff body responsible for implementing the military component of the Collective Security Treaty, adopted the Decision “On the Establishment of the Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.”
On 27 April 2026, within the framework of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Contours of a New Architecture of Collective Security: Current Issues of Information and Analytical Partnership within the CSTO,” held at MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, a round table entitled “Eurasian Analytical Platform: New Approaches in a New Geopolitical Reality” took place. During the event, Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the CSTO Secretariat Yuriy Shuvalov delivered a presentation on “The Eurasian Analytical Network: A New Cognitive Architecture of Collective Security.”
Representatives of the CSTO took part in the V International Conference of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs on Countering Extremist Ideology
19.09.2025
The V International Conference of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation on the problem of the spread of extremist ideology was held in Moscow. A delegation from the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) took part in the forum: Sergey Gonchar, Deputy Head of the Department for Countering Challenges and Threats, and Igor Demchenko, Advisor to the Department.
The event brought together law enforcement officials and representatives of international organizations from more than 20 countries to develop coordinated approaches to countering modern security challenges.
Sergey Gonchar delivered a speech at the plenary session on “Countering terrorism and extremism within the CSTO”. In his speech, he emphasized the complex nature of modern threats and the need for a collective response to them, noting: “The trend of turning terrorist and extremist groups into instruments of geopolitical struggle is a complex challenge, and it is a challenge to the very foundations of the state's existence. In these circumstances, the CSTO member states have no alternative but to take urgent and coordinated measures aimed at ensuring security”.
The presentation provided a detailed overview of the CSTO's practical experience, including the ongoing Operation Mercenary, which aims to disrupt channels of terrorist financing, recruitment and illegal migration. Particular attention was paid to efforts to harmonize legislation and develop cooperation with key international partners.
