The implementation of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)’s Targeted Interstate Program to fortify Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan and cooperation within its framework will contribute to regional security, emphasized President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan during a meeting with CSTO Secretary General Imanqali Tasmagambetov, who is in Dushanbe on an official visit.
According to the press service of the head of state, Rahmon underscored the importance of timely execution of the CSTO program aimed at strengthening the Tajik-Afghan border. He expressed confidence that "effective collaboration in this area will bolster regional security."
Furthermore, both parties highlighted the need for intensified comprehensive efforts within the CSTO to combat security threats, including terrorism, extremism, radicalism, drug trafficking, cybercrime, and transnational organized crime. They also discussed collaborative tasks and exchanged views on the situation within the organization's zone of responsibility and its surroundings. Additionally, they addressed current issues on the regional and international agenda.
During his visit to Dushanbe, the CSTO Secretary General met with Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin. The meeting focused on the coordinating role of the foreign affairs ministries of CSTO member states in implementing the program.
The program to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border was approved by the CSTO Collective Security Council in November 2024 in Astana. Previously, Tasmagambetov had stated that the five-year program would commence in 2025. According to him, the program includes specific measures aimed at ensuring the security of the southern part of the CSTO's area of responsibility.
Tajikistan has the longest border with Afghanistan among Central Asian countries, spanning 1,344 kilometers, and directly borders four of Afghanistan's northeastern provinces. In 2021, following the US decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, supporters of the radical Taliban movement (banned in Russia) took control of the country.
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Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS