Tajikistan will take over the chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on January 1, 2027, reported Asiaplus.tj, ahead of the bloc’s summit in Moscow on November 11.
President Emomali Rahmon is attending the summit with the foreign minister, the secretary of the Security Council, the defence minister and his foreign affairs aide. The leaders are expected to adopt a final declaration and a CSTO Anti-Terrorism Strategy until 2030, proposed by Russia.
Tajikistan’s main interest is the CSTO programme to reinforce the Tajik–Afghan border, which runs until 2029:
- in the first stage, Dushanbe selected suppliers and agreed order amounts;
- in 2026–2027, the most vulnerable sections of the border will be equipped;
- in 2027–2029, the programme will cover the entire border.
Weapons and equipment will come from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, with the first deliveries due by the end of 2026. Their list and cost have not been disclosed. CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said the programme “is not directed against Afghanistan and its people.”
The Tajik–Afghan border stretches for about 1,350 km, mostly through mountains along the Panj River. Clashes, smuggling and the presence of Islamic State–Khorasan fighters in northern Afghanistan make it the CSTO’s most sensitive frontier. The bloc is also under strain because Armenia has frozen its participation.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
November 11, 2026