Servicemen of the Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District (CMD) have arrived in the Republic of Belarus to take part in the command-and-staff exercise with the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces “Indestructible Brotherhood-2026” and the special exercise with the CSTO joint NBC protection and medical support formation “Barrier-2026”.
On October 7, 2026, the Fourth Counter-Terrorism Forum opened in Minsk (Republic of Belarus), bringing together the CIS Conference on Countering Terrorism and Extremism, the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure international scientific and practical conference, and joint counter-terrorism exercises.
October 7 marks the 24th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which formalized the establishment of the CSTO as an international regional organization. The goals set out in the document, including strengthening peace and stability and collectively protecting the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the member states, remain the foundation for developing mutually beneficial, truly allied cooperation. On this basis, the Russian Federation is chairing the CSTO in 2026 under the motto “Collective security in a multipolar world: a common goal, shared responsibility.”
Meetings were held between the CSTO Secretary General and the Secretary of the Security Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan
13.04.2026
On 13 April 2026, meetings were held in Astana between CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov and Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan Gizat Nurdauletov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerlan Kosherbayev, and Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan Dauren Kosanov.
The parties held a detailed discussion on current issues related to ensuring 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, including preparations for upcoming meetings of the CSTO statutory bodies.
The discussion with Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan Gizat Nurdauletov focused on developments in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the progress in implementing the CSTO Targeted Inter-State Program for strengthening the Tajik-Afghan border.
During the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerlan Kosherbayev, the CSTO Secretary General spoke about strengthening the Organization’s international standing, noting in particular its expanding interaction with such international structures as the United Nations and the SCO, as well as plans to develop relations with ASEAN countries and the League of Arab States.
Talatbek Masadykov informed Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan Dauren Kosanov about the implementation of the military component of the CSTO priorities for 2026, including the organization of joint training of personnel at the basic military educational institutions of the CSTO member states. The participants also discussed preparations for the series of large-scale joint exercises scheduled for the second half of the year, including the exercise “Rubezh-2026”, which will be held at the Koktal training ground in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
