Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states are in agreement on "political and military-strategic issues [and] pressing problems of the regional and international agenda."
Addressing the CSTO Collective Security Council in Minsk, Belarus, Putin pointed out that the contacts between the CSTO and Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States were developing in 2023. He described the SCO and the CIS as "natural partners" of the CSTO, an alliance that includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and his country. Representatives of Armenia were not present at today's summit.
The CSTO has taken steps to "maintain combat readiness, improve the command and control system and increase the training of military personnel," according to Putin.