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President Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, dear colleagues!

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you here to the Kremlin. This is the first time you are meeting in such a format, I think, and this is a good sign, a sign that coordination between the CSTO member countries is intensifying and has reached a new level. It shows that this organisation was not established in vain, and I hope that you all feel how important the organisation’s work is today, especially given the threats and challenges our peoples face: drug trafficking, the terrorist threat and organised crime. This is, unfortunately, the reality we face today, the reality that we must combat.

We all repeat over and over that the only way we can effectively combat these threats and challenges is by uniting our efforts. This is indeed the case, especially for our countries, countries that have essentially no real border between them, countries between which not only goods and capital but also people can circulate freely. This is very important because we share what is essentially a common energy supply system and common transport systems. This all creates favourable conditions for criminals, but it also gives us unique opportunities for counteracting these threats. We also share common defence tasks and objectives – the unified air defence system, for example.

I would like to note that combining our efforts is particularly important in resolving issues of a systemic nature. This is important not only from a technological point of view, although this too is a very significant aspect, as it means that our defence industry enterprises will have to keep up with today’s demands, and will help them maintain their level of technological advancement. But it is also important in another respect, namely that by resolving these kinds of issues we will ensure that we preserve our self-sufficiency in the defence sector.

The Russian Federation is ready to make its contribution to resolving these issues and other issues that at first glance seem unrelated, issues such as training for personnel, and arms purchases by CSTO member states at domestic Russian prices. We are also ready to work on other issues that are of interest to our partners.

I am very pleased that you decided to hold your first meeting in this format in the Russian capital.

I wish you a warm welcome and success in your work.