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.
A meeting was held between CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov and President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko
06.04.2026
On 6 April 2026, a meeting was held in Minsk between CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov and President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The parties held a detailed discussion on a wide range of international issues in the context of tasks related to strengthening security in the CSTO area of responsibility.
Talatbek Masadykov informed about the progress in implementing the Action Plan for the execution of decisions adopted at the November (2025) session of the CSTO Collective Security Council and the Organization’s priority areas of activity during Russia’s chairmanship. The document provides for active interaction among the member states across the full range of issues related to ensuring peace and stability in the Organization’s area of responsibility.
Among the key areas of joint work, the Secretary General highlighted preparations for upcoming meetings of the CSTO statutory bodies — the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils.
The Secretary General also informed about a series of large-scale joint exercises scheduled for the second half of the year, including “Indestructible Brotherhood”, “Interaction” and “Rubezh”, as well as special exercises “Cobalt” and “Skala”, and joint operations “Kanal”, “Mercenary” and “Illegal”.
Speaking about Belarus’ approaches to ensuring collective security, Aleksandr Lukashenko stated, in particular: “Belarus has always been a driving force in the development of relations within the CSTO and other structures in the former Soviet space. Our approaches are absolutely open. We conceal nothing and hide nothing. As for the CSTO, I proposed, long ago when the Organization was being formed (and even before that), a formula for action. We understand that Russia is the central element in this Organization. Everyone should clearly understand that, for example, in the western direction, Belarus is naturally the key element of the CSTO. And God forbid any conflict arises in this direction, Russia must always have here a core of armed forces that will join the Belarusian army in order to defend our common space.”
Addressing efforts to counter current challenges and threats, Talatbek Masadykov emphasized that special attention in the Organization’s activities is given to the development of analytical and forecasting components. “Amid the growing global crisis phenomena, we see an unconditional need for the most in-depth and objective analysis of the situation and for the development of appropriate recommendations. In this context, the Chairman of the CSTO Collective Security Council, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, has set the task of establishing a Eurasian Analytical Platform within the CSTO framework as a format for regular interaction among the expert and academic communities of the member states,” the CSTO Secretary General stated.
