The CIS Executive Committee has endorsed the Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) proposal to create a joint working group aimed at establishing a security belt around Afghanistan. This announcement was made by CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev during a meeting of Commonwealth Security Council Secretaries in Moscow.
Lebedev stated that the CIS Executive Committee fully supports the CSTO Secretariat's initiative to form a joint working group from relevant departments within both organizations. The goal of this group is to develop a comprehensive plan for a security belt around Afghanistan. "We hope that this group's efforts will help ease tensions in the region caused by international terrorist organizations, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and illegal migration," he said.
The concept of a security belt around Afghanistan was initially introduced by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon during an extraordinary CSTO summit in January 2022. Since then, a working group focused on Afghanistan has been established within the CSTO’s Council of Foreign Ministers, including representatives from the United Nations, CIS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Afghan embassy, and interested third-party countries.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS