Friendly countries: Russia and Belarus have strengthened cooperation in the field of security

Western interference in the affairs of the CIS countries, the infiltration of militants through Afghanistan, the revival of the 3+3 format in the South Caucasus and the strengthening of digital sovereignty were the main topics of the XIII meeting of the secretaries of the Security Councils of the Commonwealth countries in Moscow. Russia and Belarus also signed a two-year plan for cooperation between the Security Council offices for 2026-2027. Experts believe that this plan is aimed at deterring NATO. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu also pointed out the fallacy of the words of political scientist Francis Fukuyama. According to him, the hegemony of liberal democracy has been replaced by multipolarity in world politics.

Joint work of the Security Council offices of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus

On November 5, the XIII meeting of the secretaries of the Security Councils of the CIS countries was held in Moscow under the chairmanship of Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu. It was attended by representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as the leadership of the executive bodies of the CIS and the CSTO. The Secretaries of the Security Councils of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armen Grigoryan and Ramil Usubov, held bilateral talks with Shoigu.

Meanwhile, Sergei Shoigu and State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Volfovich signed a two-year plan for cooperation between the Security Council offices.

— Of course, we need to meet at least annually, at least at the level of deputy secretaries of state, and work on these documents. Look at what has been done, where we are going, and we can refine and optimize some provisions based on the dynamically changing international and regional agenda," Volfovich said at the signing.

The text of the plan has not yet been found online, but it directly continues the previous two-year documents. They usually regulate the schedule of consultations at the level of secretaries and working groups, exchange of information, for example, on migration topics, joint events of relevant departments, as well as coordination of positions on international platforms.

The adoption of the cooperation plan between Russia and Belarus, as well as the model of interaction between the parties, are aimed at deterring NATO, Yuri Shevtsov, director of the Center for European Integration, told Izvestia.

— The model of cooperation between Russia and Belarus based on nuclear weapons has already proved itself. But in order for this to continue to work normally as planned, it is necessary to adopt the appropriate documents," the expert explained.

Of course, this plan should be considered as a new step towards further strengthening cooperation in the field of security, the Belarusian expert concluded. Especially against the background of the fact that the republic plans to put the Oreshnik missile system on combat duty in December.

In confirmation of these words at the press conference, Shoigu stressed that there are many challenges in the CIS space. In particular, he recalled the recent threats of Lithuanian politicians to block the transit of goods to Kaliningrad against the background of the situation with the balloons of smugglers. Vilnius has stated that balloons are used by Moscow and Minsk to wage a hybrid war. As a result, the country, without providing any evidence, closed the border with Belarus for a month.

Shoigu also recalled the treaty on security guarantees within the framework of the Union State, which was signed on December 6, 2024 in Belarus. According to it, the parties undertake to support each other in case of threats to sovereignty or external aggression. According to the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, this agreement was "a response to the challenges coming from Europe," including the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO.

— There are many different things here that make us, of course, look at it very carefully. The appearance of two new NATO countries on our border is also a rather serious challenge for us," said the Secretary of the Russian Security Council.

Digital sovereignty

However, threats can be not only direct, but also digital. During the meeting, the importance of digital infrastructure in the CIS was discussed. Shoigu called for careful consideration of proposals for the creation of data centers, the development of communication networks and information exchange technologies between countries.

"The technical solutions offered by Western countries initially involve access to data without notifying end users, and their implementation leads to digital enslavement and loss of independence in critical areas of government," Shoigu said.

There are indeed serious threats from the West in the field of information security and digital sovereignty of both Russia and the CIS, Elena Zinovieva, professor of the Department of World Political Processes at MGIMO, shared her opinion with Izvestia. The West seeks to subjugate the entire world to its digital standards, including in the field of big data and artificial intelligence.

— The creation of a distributed network of data centers in the CIS will allow us to move away from the dominance of Western corporations in this area and can become a key driving force for digital integration in the commonwealth space. This is not so much a question of technology as of the digital sovereignty and information security of countries," the expert emphasized.

At the same time, Russia proceeds from the fact that sovereignty gives not only the ability to develop independently, but also the opportunity to cooperate on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. Cooperation with the CIS countries in this area is a strategic priority, Zinovieva believes.

The head of Roskomnadzor, Andrey Lipov, said in a September interview with Izvestia that there are very few countries in the world with full-fledged digital sovereignty. These include only Russia, China, and the United States. According to him, the main achievement of such sovereignty is the ability to work effectively in conditions of external shutdown.

Russia has been working on its digital independence for years. The country's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin previously supported the accelerated development of data centers in Russia. The Head of government also suggested considering the introduction of special electricity tariffs for such centers where there is a surplus of electricity.

Shoigu also spoke about the improvement of the situation in the South Caucasus in the context of a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Secretary of the Russian Security Council pointed out the importance of resuming work within the framework of the 3+3 advisory platform and unblocking transport communications in the region.

Thus, he referred to the agreements of the 2021 trilateral group, which included railway and road routes through the south of Armenia. Shoigu did not list specific objects. He also separately noted the "progress" on the Afghan track.

— At the same time, the threat of infiltration of militants from terrorist and extremist structures into our countries through Afghanistan remains. Joint work is also needed in the fight against drug trafficking. An important step in this direction was the beginning of the implementation this year of the CSTO's targeted interstate program to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border," Shoigu said.

The West intervenes in the politics of the CIS countries

The Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation recalled the thesis of the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama, who declared the "end of history" as a triumph of liberal democracy. However, the "end of history" did not come, instead a stage of multipolarity began, for which the West was not ready, Sergei Shoigu stressed.

To prevent this, Western countries have deployed a wide range of means and methods, including illegal unilateral restrictive measures, interference in political and electoral processes, ideological sabotage, and incitement to national and religious discord.

Thus, Western countries have already rigged the presidential and parliamentary elections in Moldova, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council stressed. The country's authorities have not opened enough polling stations on the territory of the Russian Federation, depriving Moldovans living in Russia of the right to vote.

The fact is that in 2024, during the presidential elections in Moldova, 234 polling stations were opened abroad, only two of which were in Russia. The total number of ballots in the Russian Federation was 10 thousand. And this is despite the fact that about half a million Moldovans live in our country. A similar situation was repeated in the parliamentary elections in September this year — 2 polling stations were still open in Russia.

Attempts to interfere in the internal politics of Georgia were also recorded. It almost came to an attempted coup there, Shoigu stressed. But the authorities managed to keep the situation under control. The reason for such actions on the part of the West is that it needs to justify the growth of its debts.

— At the moment, the total national debt of the Group of Seven countries is approximately $61.4 trillion. Its growth rates significantly outstrip the growth of the economies of these countries," Shoigu said.

In order to continue to raise the debt level and shift the consequences of its growth to the rest of the world, the West needs to maintain its "parasitic model of globalization," the Secretary of the Russian Security Council concluded.