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.”
From October 18 to 23 this year, a special exercise codenamed “Cobalt-2026” will be held in the Republic of Tajikistan.
Today, the active phase of the command-and-staff exercise with the Collective Operational Reaction Forces (CORF) of the CSTO “Interaction-2026” and the special exercises “Search-2026” and “Echelon-2026” concluded in the Russian Federation.
At the “Russia Today” press center, a joint press conference was held by Valery Semerikov, the CSTO Deputy Secretary General, and Anatoly Vybornov, Chairman of the CSTO PA Standing Commission on Defense and Security and member of the Russian State Duma
09.12.2025
On December 9, 2025, at the “Russia Today” International Multimedia Press Center, a joint press conference was held by Valery Semerikov, the CSTO Deputy Secretary General, and Anatoly Vybornov, Chairman of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly's Standing Commission on Defense and Security, with studios in Astana, Bishkek, Yerevan, and Minsk connected. The Tajik correspondents worked from the Moscow studio. The main topic of the press conference was the results of the CSTO Collective Security Council (CSC) session held on November 27 in Bishkek.
Valery Semerikov elaborated on the main issues discussed during the meeting of heads of state. In particular, he reported on the high assessment given by the members of the CSC to Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship of the Organization. At the same time, through collective efforts, all the priorities presented by the Kyrgyz side at the 2024 session were successfully implemented. Based on the report of CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov, a wide range of issues and tasks related to challenges and threats to regional security were considered.
The CSTO Deputy Secretary General announced the adoption of a number of important documents aimed at comprehensively strengthening the Organization. Among the most important are the decisions “On the Collective Security Strategy of the Collective Security Treaty Organization” and “On the Anti-Drug Strategy of the Member States of the Collective Security Treaty Organization for 2026-2030.” In terms of the analytical component of the CSTO, he also highlighted the adoption of the Decision “On the Information and Analytical Department of the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.”
Valery Semerikov outlined the priorities of the Russian Federation's chairmanship of the CSTO in 2026, noting that Russia planned to focus primarily on consolidating the member states of the Organization and improving the activities of the CSTO bodies. Other priorities of the Russian Federation as chair include comprehensively strengthening the Organization's military component, including the military-medical aspect, as well as developing interparliamentary ties.
