DUSHANBE, September 15. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization’s member-countries have agreed to carry out operations to struggle against drug trafficking and resist illegal migration, as well as to reinforce the Tajik-Afghan border against the backdrop of the worsening situation in Afghanistan, the office of Russia’s Security Council has said.
"Special attention was paid to the situation inside and around Afghanistan. A list of measures was approved to respond to the challenges to the security of Central Asian countries stemming from the risk of a likely aggravation of the terrorist threat," says a news release following a meeting of the council of foreign ministers, defense ministers and CSTO security councils’ secretaries, in which the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, took part.
Plans were discussed for "reinforcing the Tajik-Afghan border, conducting special command staff military exercises and a special anti-drug operation and an inter-state operation to resist illegal migration on the CSTO’s southern borders," the Russian Security Council said.
The member-countries agreed to step up cooperation by the agencies concerned and special services for exposing and neutralizing extremist and terrorist groups. Mechanisms of cooperation to resist terrorist organizations’ subversive propaganda in cyberspace were discussed.
"It was suggested enhancing cooperation within the CSTO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) over the Afghan problem," the Russian Security Council said.
Among other things discussed was the military and political situation in the regions of the CSTO’s collective security, current activity, and the organization’s plans.
The CSTO
The CSTO is an international organization created to address security issues. Currently, it has six members — Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The Collective Security Treaty was signed in Tashkent in 1992. Tajikistan holds the rotating presidency of the CSTO in 2020-2021.