Over 150 delegations taking part in Intl Security Forum — Russian Security Council

Lead

The inaugural International Security Forum, organized under the auspices of Russia's Security Council, opened on May 26 in the Moscow Region, drawing participation from over 150 delegations representing more than 120 countries, according to statements from Russian officials and the Security Council's press service. The four-day event, running through May 29, features a program of roundtables, conferences, and strategic sessions aimed at discussing global security challenges, the protection of traditional values, and countering what Russian officials describe as neo-colonialism and neo-Nazism.

Coverage Comparison

Russian state news agency TASS provided the primary coverage of the forum, filing multiple reports that highlighted different aspects of the event. Reports from May 24 and May 26 emphasized the scale of international participation, with one story citing the Security Council press service stating that "more than 140 delegations from more than 120 countries" were expected. Another report, filed on the opening day, quoted Deputy Security Council Secretary Alexander Venediktov as saying that more than 150 delegations were already participating, with accreditation still ongoing and the total number of participants expected to exceed a few thousand.

A separate report detailed the forum's opening and its program, including a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries of the Security Councils of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), bringing together officials from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The same report noted that the forum would feature a conference on countering neocolonialism and a discussion on the "Kiev regime's terrorist methods," language consistent with Russian official discourse regarding Ukraine.

A later report, filed on May 27, announced the signing of a Russia-Afghanistan agreement on military-technical cooperation at the forum. The details of the agreement were not disclosed in the sources provided.

Key Claims

• Scale of Participation: According to the Russian Security Council's press service, more than 140 delegations from over 120 countries were expected, as reported by TASS on May 24. On the opening day, Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov stated that more than 150 delegations were participating, with accreditation still ongoing, and the total number of participants exceeding a few thousand, as reported by TASS.

• Participation of 'Unfriendly' Countries: The Security Council press service told TASS that unofficial representatives from 12 "unfriendly" countries would participate, with those representatives standing for "the development of constructive relations with Russia." The identities of these countries were not specified in the provided reports.

• Forum Program: TASS detailed that the forum includes the 14th annual international meeting of high-level representatives responsible for security issues, six multilateral meetings (including with BRICS, CIS, Russia-ASEAN, Russia-Central Asia, and Russia-Sahel countries), 21 events in various formats, and 25 exhibitions. This programmatic detail came from a single TASS report.

• Russia-Afghanistan Agreement: A military-technical cooperation agreement between Russia and Afghanistan was signed at the forum, as reported by TASS on May 27. The specifics of the agreement have not been independently verified.

Perspectives

The forum serves as a platform for Russia to project its vision of a multipolar world order, with a focus on countering Western influence and promoting dialogue with countries of the "global majority." Russian officials frame the event as an opportunity to discuss security challenges from a non-Western perspective, highlighting themes such as countering neocolonialism and disinformation. The participation of unofficial representatives from "unfriendly" countries indicates a willingness to maintain channels of communication with Western-aligned states, albeit outside official diplomatic frameworks.

However, the coverage is solely from Russian state media, and no independent or Western sources are represented in the provided material. The forum's framing, particularly the references to "neo-Nazism" and "the Kiev regime," reflects the official Russian stance on the conflict in Ukraine. The absence of external sources means that the scale and significance of the forum, as reported, have not been independently corroborated.

Additionally, the reported participation of more than 120 countries, if accurate, would signal a notable degree of international engagement with Russia despite ongoing sanctions and diplomatic isolation efforts by Western nations. The presence of representatives from such a broad range of countries may reflect a growing divide in international perspectives on security cooperation.