MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. The states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are planning to discuss the issues related to Afghan refugees at the next meeting of the Coordination Council on combating illegal migration, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas stated at an online briefing on Monday.

"We have already planned for the near future, literally in a short amount of time, the review of the issues related to illegal migration and refugees from Afghanistan’s territory at a meeting of the Coordination Council on combating illegal migration," he said.

Additionally, the secretary general noted that this November, at the CSTO peacekeepers’ drills, the issues of accepting the refugees would be worked out. "I think that all these measures will serve as a deterrence measure in the region and will, of course, heighten the readiness of our organization to the localization or interception of possible threats that may emerge due to the deteriorating situation in that region," he added.

On August 15, Taliban fighters (outlawed in Russia) swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance, and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. Vice President Amrullah Saleh announced that, in the absence of the head of state, the constitution empowered him to become the caretaker president and urged the Afghan people to join the resistance against the Taliban radical movement. At present, Western nations are evacuating their citizens and embassy staff.

On February 14, 2003, the Russian Supreme Court declared the Taliban to be a terrorist organization and its activities are outlawed nationwide.