Moscow Security Forum 2025 counters claims of Russia isolation: Shoigu

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 May 2025 22:41

For the first time, officials from the new government of Afghanistan will attend the Moscow Security Forum.

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Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu attends the Security Council meeting chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, October 10, 2024. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu dismissed claims of Russia’s international isolation, highlighting the upcoming Moscow Security Forum 2025, which will host over 100 delegations from around the world.

In an interview for Rossiya-24 television on Monday, Shoigu remarked, “We used to say that we are not isolated,” adding that large-scale international forums held in Russia have become “quite commonplace”.

Shoigu confirmed that “more than 110 delegations and nearly all major international organizations” will participate in the event, scheduled for May 27–29.

“There will be more than 50 of my counterparts, officials of my level,” he said, noting representation from “all continents”.

“We want to show them our country, to show how we address security matters. But most importantly, we want to show them that we stand for security for all, not against anyone,” Shoigu stated.

First-ever participation by Afghanistan’s new government

For the first time, officials from the new government of Afghanistan will attend the Moscow Security Forum. “The event will feature representatives of the new leadership in Kabul for the first time,” the Russian Security Council confirmed via its press service.

Global South and multilateral cooperation in focus

The 13th international meeting of high-level representatives on security issues will take place at the National Center in Russia. Delegates from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will take part in informal multilateral discussions on a wide range of regional and global security issues.

The Russian Security Council stressed the importance of these forums in building strategic cooperation frameworks. “Modern challenges and security threats are of a global and cross-border nature. No country can address these alone or bilaterally,” the Council noted. As a result, groupings involving the Global South and Eastern countries have gained greater prominence.

Regional actors, the Council added, “are reluctant to be an arena of confrontation between major powers and instead seek active participation in building a system of just and indivisible security.”

Forum aims to strengthen global security networks

Alongside the formal sessions, the forum will host the fifth meeting of ASEAN security delegates, and informal meetings between BRICS, SCO, and CIS delegations are also scheduled.