Lavrov Holds CSTO Foreign Ministers Meeting on Sidelines of UN General Assembly

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting of foreign ministers from the Collective Security Treaty Organization on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The participating sides stressed what TASS described as "the importance of further strengthening cooperation between the CSTO and the UN," though the report did not provide additional detail on specific initiatives or agreements discussed during the meeting.

The CSTO is a security alliance comprising Russia and several other former Soviet states, and its foreign ministers periodically meet on the margins of major international gatherings, including the UN General Assembly, to coordinate positions on security and diplomatic matters.

The meeting comes amid continued Russian efforts to promote the CSTO as a counterpart institution to Western-aligned security arrangements, and to emphasize the bloc's engagement with the broader United Nations system.

No further details were provided on which member states' foreign ministers attended the meeting or on any specific outcomes beyond the general statement on cooperation.