Russia to Host First International Security Forum in May

Over 180 delegations have received invitations to take part in the first International Security Forum, set to take place outside the Moscow area on May 26-29, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said.

"Invitations for the event have been sent to more than 180 delegations," he pointed out at a meeting of the presidium of the Security Council’s scientific advisory board. "I am confident that national security advisors, defense ministers, intelligence chiefs, government officials and members of the international expert community will be able to learn a lot of new things and that they will seize the opportunity to boost cooperation in order to address common threats," Shoigu added.

According to him, when choosing topics for discussion, the Russian Security Council was primarily focused "on the opinions shared by countries of the global majority, which are expressed at regular bilateral and military meetings convened by security councils."

"A debate on ways to confront neocolonialism and preserve and protect traditional spiritual and moral values will be one of the highlights of the forum," Shoigu went on to say. "Several multilateral meetings are expected to take place, including a Russia-Central Asia nations meeting, a Russia-ASEAN event, and an informal BRICS gathering. As for our partners from African countries, a separate briefing will be held, dedicated to the implementation of decisions made at the relevant summits, as well as to preparations for the next summit," he noted.

In addition, the forum will also involve numerous roundtables, with the world’s leading experts sharing their vision of the problems currently under discussion, the Russian Security Council secretary said.