Kyrgyz Defense Minister Ruslan Mukambetov met with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Bishkek to discuss the future of bilateral military cooperation. The meeting concluded with the signing of a Strategic Partnership Program in the Military Field extending through 2030.
Belousov’s visit comes ahead of the annual meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), also taking place in the Kyrgyz capital. As part of the lead-up to the event, the two ministers held direct bilateral talks.
Speaking at the meeting, Belousov stated that CSTO member states are “living in conditions of global instability” and must remain vigilant.
“Both within the CSTO and in our bilateral relations, we must treat the emerging threats with the utmost care. And there are more and more of them,” he said.
Belousov identified radical groups operating in Afghanistan as the primary security threat in Central Asia, citing Russian intelligence estimates that place their numbers at over 15,000 fighters. He also pointed to growing instability in the Middle East, which, according to Russian officials, has led to an increase in foreign fighters entering the region.
Mukambetov, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the depth of military cooperation with Russia and highlighted continued collaboration across all defense sectors. The ministers discussed both current and prospective issues related to military and military-technical cooperation.
Despite Moscow’s ongoing warnings about extremist threats in the region, some experts argue that Russia may be inflating the scale of the danger. The narrative of a looming Islamic threat remains a consistent theme in Russian security rhetoric.
In a potentially contradictory move, the Russian Supreme Court recently lifted its long-standing ban on the Taliban movement. Nevertheless, Russian officials continue to present information on Afghan-based terrorist threats to their CSTO allies.
The Kremlin has also voiced concerns about growing Western influence in Central Asia. According to reports, Russian officials believe Western countries have gained excessive sway in the region, a development Moscow sees as a strategic challenge.
