Taalatbek Masadykov

Taalatbek Shamudinovich Masadykov (Kyrgyz: Таалатбек Шамудинович Масадыков; born on 22 January 1961), is a Kyrgyz politician who is currently the Secretary General of Collective Security Treaty Organization since 1 January 2026.

Early career Taalatbek Masadykov was born in Bishkek on 22 January 1961. In 1984, Masadykov graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, received a diploma of a specialist in international relations with knowledge of foreign languages; in 1988 - 1991, he studied full-time postgraduate studies at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Iranian Philology and defended his PhD thesis on Afghan literature (he holds a PhD in Philology). In 2000 – 2002, he studied full-time doctoral studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In 1987 - 1988 he worked in a group of Soviet advisors to the Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Tribal and Frontier Affairs of Afghanistan.

From 1995 – 1996, Masadykov was a member of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, working as the Deputy General Director of the State Committee on Foreign Investment and Economic Assistance, and from 1997 – 1998 he worked as Co-Dean and Lecturer of the International Relations Department of the American University in Kyrgyzstan.

UN Masadykov worked in the United Nations system for more than 12 years (June 2002 - November 2014). In June 2002, he started working as a Political Advisor to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA); worked as Head of UNAMA Regional Offices in the south-eastern and southern regions of Afghanistan; was UNAMA's Chief Political Advisor; worked as Political Director of the UN Special Political Mission in Afghanistan.

In 2016, he served as a visiting professor at Tokyo State University in Tokyo, Japan, delivering a series of lectures on the peace process in Afghanistan and security threats to the region around Afghanistan.

He worked as an expert on international relations, regional and international security and engaged in research and analysis for independent think tanks; provided advice to governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Kyrgyz politics In 2017, Taalatbek Masadykov participated in the presidential elections, candidate for President of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In July 2021, Masadykov was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Kyrgyz Republic. From April 2022 to December 2023, he worked as Special Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on special assignments. In January 2024, he was appointed the CSTO Deputy Secretary General.

In 2017, Masadykov, who was an international relations specialist at the time, was a candidate for the Kyrgyz presidential election.

CSTO He had been the Deputy Secretary General of CSTO under Kazakh Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov, until 31 December 2025, in which he was sworn into office the next day. At the summit, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko endorsed Masadykov, and is "ready for close and constructive cooperation".

Personal life Masadykov can speak Kyrgyz, Russian, English, Pashto, and Dari.