MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed ensuring collective biological security in the CIS at an operational meeting with the Security Council.

"Today we are going to talk about ensuring collective security in the CIS territories, [I mean] collective biological security. Taking into account the problems we faced during COVID, and even now, the situation is not so <…> easy in terms of the epidemiological situation," the president said, opening the meeting.

He pointed out that biological security issues directly affect both Russia itself and its closest neighbors. "On December 25-26 we will have meetings with our colleagues, with the heads of the CIS countries. This is, of course, one of the issues that is of general interest to everyone," the Russian leader said.

Putin then gave the floor to Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) head Anna Popova and asked her to make a report.

The Russian Security Council meeting was attended by Speakers of both houses of parliament Valentina Matviyenko and Vyacheslav Volodin, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Presidential Administration Head Anton Vaino, Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev, Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Special Russian Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergey Ivanov.