Putin Offers to Equip CSTO Members with Modern Russian Weapons
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to supply modern Russian weapons to members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to boost their ability to counter security threats. Speaking at the CSTO summit held Thursday in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Putin emphasized the importance of continued cooperation within the bloc to identify and dismantle terrorist cells and disrupt their financial networks.
He also stressed the necessity of developing new strategies in the field of information security to enhance the protection of member states.
This year’s CSTO summit is taking place at the state residence of Ala-Archa in Bishkek. Putin announced that the adoption of final documents by the end of the meeting is likely. The CSTO is a regional military alliance composed of several Central Asian nations and former Soviet allies.
Putin made these remarks during the final day of his official visit to Kyrgyzstan. During the visit, he met with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and held talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. He is expected to address the media with more details following the conclusion of the summit.
The CSTO primarily focuses on security issues in the Central Asian region — an area increasingly exposed to terrorist threats due to a power vacuum following the rise of Taliban control in neighboring Afghanistan.
