Moscow, Nov 28 (UNI) Russia has proposed supplying all fellow member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) with modern weaponry, as Moscow prepares to take over the bloc's chairmanship in 2026 amidst a notable rise in geopolitical tensions.
Moscow's comments came amidst the backdrop of the EU's ongoing work for developing a new pack of anti-Russia sanctions, having prepared at least three new sanctions packages against Russia for next year, while US President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking to block South Africa from hosting the 2026 G20 summit.
Speaking at the CSTO summit in Bishkek on November 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed launching a large-scale programme to equip the Collective Forces of the CSTO with Russian weaponry. As per experts, such an initiative is particularly relevant for several member states, including Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
As per experts, such a move would be particularly significant for countries like Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, whose militaries still rely heavily on ageing, Soviet-era equipment and lack modern communications, reconnaissance tools and unmanned systems.
"Kazakhstan and Belarus have modernised more actively, but others clearly face shortages," Daria Saprynskaya of the Russian Academy of Sciences told Russian newspaper Izvestia.
Alexander Korolev of the Higher School of Economics said the proposed rearmament could "significantly enhance" the CSTO's collective combat capability, given the reliability Russian equipment has demonstrated in active conflict zones.
Participants in the summit adopted a final declaration outlining unified positions on key issues of the international and regional agenda. Among the central topics of the meeting were countering extremism, terrorism, and external threats.
The broader foreign policy environment remains one of the principal risks, as CSTO member states expressed concerns over the possible shift of military infrastructure by other hostile military blocs near any of the bloc's member-states borders, in a reference to the NATO's activities. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko even likened the situation on the western frontiers to a "besieged fortress."
In the advent of such a development, Putin proposed hosting an international expert forum in 2026 dedicated to Eurasian security architecture, as Russia is set to assume chairmanship of the bloc on January 1, 2026.
Highlighting his priorities for the CSTO, Putin said Moscow would focus on enhancing continuity, deepen defence-industry cooperation between members, and strengthening the bloc's air and air-defence forces.
Russia plans to focus on training military and special forces units, such as holding further stages of the regular exercises "Interaction," "Echelon," and "Search." The fight against terrorism and drug trafficking will also be a focus of the Russian presidency.
"During our chairmanship, we plan to begin jointly developing a new CSTO anti-terrorism strategy. We will strive to do everything necessary to continue to decisively combat extremism," Vladimir Putin said.
Member nations of the post-Soviet era bloc will pledge to jointly work in identifying and eliminating any and all international terrorist groups and their cells in their respective countries, as well as work to disrupt their funding channels.
The anti-drug operation "Channel" will also continue, involving interested international actors."The anti-terrorism strategy is one of the most pressing topics at the summit. We need to understand that terrorism isn't just about recruiting and searching for people.
"Nowadays, all of this is being implemented using cyber tools and social media, so this issue needs to be addressed comprehensively, with the participation of all members of the organization," asserted the Russian analyst Daria Saprynskaya.
As such, Afghanistan and its current political instability are of prime interest to CSTO states, as the war-ravaged nation has become a fertile ground for extremist organisations, and thus requires a coordinated and focused action by all the CSTO states to bolster their own inner security, as well as for the broader region of Central Asia.
UNI ANV SS