CSTO Marks 24 Years, Emphasises Regional Cooperation
Dragon Media Newsroom
October 7 marks the 24th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). The organisation, whose members are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, has established itself as an important mechanism for regional security, the Russian side said.
The charter sets out the strengthening of peace and stability and the collective defence of member states’ independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty as the organisation’s core purposes. In 2026, Russia holds the CSTO chairmanship under the motto “Collective Security in a Multipolar World: A Common Goal, a Shared Responsibility.”
The CSTO prioritises preventing and resolving crises, addressing threats to regional stability, strengthening the combat readiness of its collective forces and coordinating foreign policy. Russia’s armed forces are contributing their experience to efforts to enhance the organisation’s security capabilities. Collective forces from member states are taking part in joint exercises in the Chelyabinsk Region in September and October.
Cooperation in biological and information security is also expanding. Security agencies of member states continue operations against terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, illegal migration and cybercrime, which the Russian side said were producing substantial results.
Cooperation with the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is another CSTO priority. The organisation has held observer status at the UN General Assembly since 2004. A joint CSTO, CIS and SCO conference on security in Central Asia and Afghanistan is scheduled to take place in Moscow on October 15–16.
A meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council and a joint meeting of the organisation’s foreign ministers, defence ministers and security council secretaries are scheduled for November 10–11 in Moscow. Decisions aimed at strengthening the CSTO’s collective security system are expected to be signed.
