CSTO meeting in Bishkek concludes with key decisions PHOTO

The Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) convened in Bishkek for an expanded-format meeting, concluding with a series of significant decisions aimed at strengthening regional security.

The leaders of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan reviewed pressing issues related to the collective security of the member states. They also assessed the implementation of the CSTO’s principal work areas in 2025 and outlined priority objectives for the period ahead, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Kazakh president’s press service.

Summit participants expressed their appreciation to Imangali Tasmagambetov, who is completing his tenure as CSTO Secretary General. During the session, the Council formally approved the appointment of Taalatbek Masadykov of the Kyrgyz Republic as the next Secretary General, with his three-year term set to begin on January 1, 2026.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of a Collective Security Council declaration and the signing of several documents designed to further enhance and modernize the organization’s collective security system in the interests of all member states.

Prior to the meeting, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Tajikistan — Aleksandr Lukashenko, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Vladimir Putin, and Emomali Rahmon — arrived at the Yntymak Ordo Complex earlier today. They were welcomed at the entrance by Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeenbek Kulubaev, and later greeted inside by President Sadyr Japarov.

Following a ceremonial group photograph, the Collective Security Council convened for a closed-door session.

“Today’s meeting concludes our country’s chairmanship of the CSTO,” President Japarov declared before the start of the proceedings.

During the summit, leaders addressed pressing areas of cooperation, with a particular focus on strengthening joint efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking and illegal migration. The agenda further included an exchange of views on the current military-political situation within the organization’s security regions, a review of CSTO activities during the intersessional period, and the consideration and endorsement of decisions to be submitted to the Council of Presidents.

In the lead-up to the summit, a joint session of the Councils of Foreign Ministers, Defence Ministers, and Security Council Secretaries from the CSTO member states was held in Bishkek, setting the stage for  high-level discussions.

By Vafa Guliyeva