- You began your duties as Secretary General of the CSTO on January 1. What are your feelings about this role? - I am focused on productive work.
First of all, I would like to thank the leaders of the CSTO member states for the trust they have placed in me. Over the past two years, I have had the honor of working in the CSTO Secretariat as Deputy Secretary General, where I dealt with issues of military-political security. This experience has been an important stage for a deep understanding of the problems and analysis of opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of our organization.
Our main goal is the successful fulfillment of the CSTO's core mission, which is to maintain peace and stability in our area of responsibility, as well as to create conditions for the safe and prosperous development of the CSTO member states. We have all the necessary tools to achieve this goal.
I intend to make the most effective use of the accumulated experience and practices of interaction among member states to address the most important tasks of our collective security. Such tasks include political consultations, the work of specialized working groups, conducting joint exercises and operations of a permanent nature, etc.
In accordance with the directives of our supreme body – the Collective Security Council (CSC), we will consistently strengthen the role of the CSTO as a significant military-political structure in Greater Eurasia to ensure peace and stability.
- What priority tasks are facing the Secretariat in the near future? - In 2026, the presidency of the CSTO will pass to the Russian Federation. This presidency will be held under the slogan "Collective Security in a Multipolar World. A Common Goal – Shared Responsibility," which reflects the key principles of our alliance – responsibility and readiness to cooperate with interested states and organizations to ensure regional and global security.
In the near future, we will present to the Chairman of the CSC, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, a plan of activities for implementing the decisions made at the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in November 2025, as well as for fulfilling the priority areas of the organization's work during the Russian presidency.
We face significant work to deepen foreign policy coordination among the member states of our organization, as well as to promote collective interests and initiatives on the international stage.
We plan to continue:
- improving the work of the CSTO statutory bodies;
- strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation in the field of collective security;
- developing the forces and means of the collective security system, taking into account changes in the military-political situation in the world and in the regions;
- increasing coordination of efforts to combat international terrorism and extremism, as well as issues of drug and arms trafficking, illegal migration, biological security, and military medicine.
In addition, preparations have begun for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the 35th anniversary of the signing of the collective security treaty in 2027.
- We hear alarming news daily about events in different regions of Eurasia. How does the CSTO assess the growing geopolitical tension? - Today, Eurasia is the geopolitical center of a multipolar world. Events occurring in this region affect the global political and military situation, including the area of responsibility of our organization.
The reasons for the current imbalance in international relations are well known. Some Western politicians are striving for the militarization of the economy and are declaring the possibility of strengthening their security at the expense of new systems, including nuclear weapons and the deployment of weapons of mass destruction on their territory.
The temptation to use new lethal technologies is becoming a reality. Defense spending is reaching historical highs, military space activities are intensifying, and new autonomous systems are emerging. The internet is actively used to influence the internal political stability of countries and to harm their economic and military interests. Artificial intelligence and self-learning systems are increasingly being applied for military purposes.
In addition to the complicating military aspects, the member states of our organization also emphasize the need for coordinated actions in response to the growing threats in biological, international information, and other areas.
Unfortunately, there is no unity on these important issues in the international arena, and there are currently no successful attempts to create effective means of deterrence regulating the use of new dangerous technologies. Nevertheless, the threat of international terrorism and related extremism, drug trafficking, and the cross-border movement of militants remains.
Against this backdrop, the number of regional conflicts is increasing. The approach of "zones of instability" to the borders of CSTO member states is particularly alarming. In such conditions, our organization continues to strengthen its role as an important military-political structure ensuring stability amid tectonic changes in the post-Soviet space and in Eurasia.
- The CSTO has experience and capabilities for a positive influence on regional security. Can you tell us more about this? - Our organization has an impressive "track record." Over more than thirty years of the treaty's existence, we have managed to prevent or mitigate numerous crises in the CSTO area of responsibility. We continue to focus on preventive, political-diplomatic measures and improve the CSTO crisis response system.
Within the framework of the current collective security strategy, extended until 2025, we will enhance the combat potential of the CSTO Collective Forces, including equipping them with modern reconnaissance systems, electronic warfare, and unmanned systems. We also plan to develop training programs for military personnel for the armed forces of CSTO member states, taking into account advancements in military science and technology.
A key task will be the implementation of an intergovernmental program to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border, a decision on which was made in November 2024 in Astana.
Currently, the CSTO supports the implementation of the first stage of the program – the coordination of lists of weapons and equipment that will be transferred to the border troops of Tajikistan. We are identifying suppliers and coordinating contracts.
We will also conduct joint military exercises: "Interaction," "Search," "Echelon," "Rubezh," where specific aspects of troop training will be practiced, taking into account the latest combat experience. In October of this year, a command-staff exercise "Indestructible Brotherhood – 2026" will take place in Belarus with CSTO peacekeeping forces. In addition, we will coordinate actions to prevent biological threats and create a reliable biological security system for the CSTO. A special exercise "Barrier-2026" will also take place in Belarus in October, continuing the practice of jointly addressing biological threat mitigation tasks.
In the area of countering challenges and threats, we will consistently enhance our potential and experience aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the fight against terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, and crimes in the field of information technology. We will continue practical activities in the format of special operations under conditional names "Mercenary," "Channel," "Illegal," and "PROXY."
We will also intensify work on information and analytical support for the CSTO's activities, coordinate efforts of the scientific and expert community, and strengthen the image of our organization in social networks.
- Recently, there has been discussion about the need to build a new architecture for Eurasian security. What role can the CSTO and regional organizations play in this process? - For many years, the CSTO has demonstrated its effectiveness as an "all-weather" structure, ensuring regional stability and being an integral part of the global security system. In the context of forming a new architecture for Eurasian security, one of the main areas of the CSTO's work will be interaction with other international organizations.
We see that regional structures and developing states are becoming increasingly significant players in addressing local problems, relying on the experience and tools of the UN system. This will enable countries that best understand local realities and are interested in effective solutions to increase their influence.
At the same time, the United Nations remains our key partner. The CSTO and the UN are developing cooperation at all levels, including such priority areas as conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping, combating terrorism and extremism, as well as international information security.
We expect that in 2026, the 81st session of the UN General Assembly will approve another resolution on "Cooperation between the UN and the Collective Security Treaty Organization," which is adopted every two years.
The CSTO Secretariat will continue to strengthen partnerships with the SCO and CIS. An important outcome of 2025 was the signing of a roadmap for the development of cooperation between the CSTO, CIS, and SCO for 2026-2028.
We believe that the implementation of this roadmap will create the foundations for more active joint actions in the field of security. This year, a joint conference of the CSTO, CIS, and SCO is also planned, dedicated to security issues in Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Throughout the duration of the roadmap, the implementation of multilateral media projects is planned to enhance the international authority of our organizations.
As for interaction with the OSCE, under the current tension, contacts have been "paused," and this is not of our initiative. Nevertheless, we are closely monitoring the processes in the OSCE and are ready to resume cooperation, as the absence of interaction is always detrimental, especially in conditions where many issues have accumulated in Europe affecting all states on the continent.
It is evident that the growing number of challenges and threats facing our organization and all of Eurasia requires the search for new allies and partners.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization is open to cooperation with those states and organizations that share our principles and goals.
