Kyrgyzstan Secures Top CSTO Post With New Secretary General Appointment

Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov has announced that Taalatbek Masadykov was appointed the next Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and will officially assume the role on January 1, 2026.

Ushakov made these remarks at a briefing in Moscow, The Caspian Post reports via Kyrgyz media.

He will succeed Imangali Tasmagambetov of Kazakhstan, who has served as Secretary General since January 2023. Under CSTO rules, the term of office is three years.

Masadykov, who currently serves as Deputy Secretary General of the organization, will move into the top post leading the CSTO Secretariat. “We believe he will transition quite smoothly into the role of head of the Secretariat,” Ushakov noted.

Tasmagambetov is scheduled to deliver a report on the CSTO’s activities at the Collective Security Council session on November 27 in Bishkek. During the summit, he will also receive the organization’s first-degree honorary badge.

Masadykov brings extensive diplomatic and international security experience to the position. A 64-year-old graduate of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), he completed postgraduate studies at Moscow State University, earned a PhD in philology, and studied at the London School of Economics. His career includes more than 12 years of service with the UN and teaching at Tokyo National University, and he holds the rank of ambassador.

In 2021, he became Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of Kyrgyzstan and later the President’s Special Representative for Special Assignments. Since January 2024, he has served as CSTO Deputy Secretary General - a role from which he will now step up to lead the organization.