As part of its year-long presidency, Russia will host the International Forum for Collective Security, a new platform for dialogue on a wide range of pressing issues of international and regional security. The Forum was established by decision of the Collective Security Council of the CSTO, and this will be its inaugural meeting. The event is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and operated by the Roscongress Foundation.
As part of its presidency of the CSTO, Russia will continue to strengthen the organization’s defence capabilities and has proposed launching a programme to equip its collective forces with modern Russian weapons systems. “A key priority of the Russian chairmanship is the development of cooperation between the member states to ensure that the CSTO becomes a technological leader in the military sphere,” said President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in his speech during a regular session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Bishkek in November 2025. In addition, Russia will step up its fight against drug trafficking, develop a new counter-terrorism strategy, and help make full use of advances in military medicine. The President also proposed taking measures to protect states against threats in the information space and improve the mechanism for deploying peacekeepers.
“Several events have been planned for 2026 that aim to strengthen allied ties within the CSTO framework and reinforce the organization’s collective security system. These include expert meetings and scientific and practical conferences. The plan of events is based on the priorities of the Russian Federation’s presidency of the CSTO in 2026 and covers all key areas of activity,” noted Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov.
Decree No. 11 of the President of the Russian Federation dated 1 January 2026, established an Organizing Committee that will oversee the preparations for and holding of the International Forum for Collective Security and other events within the framework of Russia’s presidency of the CSTO in 2026. The Organizing Committee will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk.