On October 15–16, 2026, Moscow hosted the SCO, CSTO and CIS Conference on Security in Central Asia and Afghanistan. The event was held within the framework of the Russian chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization this year.
The plenary session was addressed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, CSTO Secretary-General Taalatbek Masadykov, CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev, SCO Deputy Secretary-General Ahmad Saidmurodzoda, as well as high-ranking representatives of Central Asian states and a number of other countries.
In his remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation noted that the Roadmap for the Development of Cooperation between the SCO, the CIS and the CSTO, adopted in Beijing in September 2025, has provided the basis for moving this cooperation onto a practical track. He emphasized that in the Bishkek Declaration on the 25th Anniversary of the Organisation (September 1, 2026), the leaders of the member states declared that the SCO will adhere to a course that rules out bloc-based and confrontational approaches to addressing international and regional development issues, deepening cooperation that may serve as the foundation for building a space of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.
Ahmad Saidmurodzoda recalled that in September 2021, at the Dushanbe Summit marking the Organisation's 20th anniversary, the heads of the member states declared Central Asia to be the core of the SCO. "In our view, recognizing this region as the core reflects not only the institutional maturing of the Organisation, but also a profound transformation of the SCO space as a whole," he noted.
The SCO's position on Afghanistan was presented to the conference participants. "In the Bishkek Declaration on the 25th Anniversary, the leaders of our countries, reaffirming their commitment to the emergence of Afghanistan as an independent, neutral and peaceful state free from terrorism, war and drugs, expressed their readiness to support efforts to ensure peace and development in that country," Ahmad Saidmurodzoda stressed.
The Conference also featured an exchange of views on the potential of regional organizations in Central Asia, the risks and prospects for cooperation in the region in light of the "Afghan factor," and issues of water and energy, food and information security.
The Roadmap for the Development of Cooperation between the SCO, the CSTO and the CIS was adopted on September 3, 2025, in Beijing.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the CIS Executive Committee was signed on April 12, 2005, in Beijing.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO and CSTO Secretariats was concluded on October 5, 2007, in Dushanbe.