MOSCOW, June 20. /TASS/. Foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization have adopted statements on the situation in Afghanistan and the prevention of an arms race in space, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The foreign ministers, who convened for a meeting in Minsk, passed the statements at the initiative of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Lavrov also reviewed Russia’s assessments of the current status of international affairs and the outlook for their development, with an eye to how they could influence stability across the CSTO countries.

"He called on the counterparts to intensify collective efforts on international platforms to jointly advance initiatives on various security aspects," the statement said.

The participants also discussed the situation in the field of international and regional security, and exchanged views on further steps to develop the CSTO’s external relations.

"The foreign ministers of the CSTO countries outlined key areas of cooperation within the organization for the current year, taking into account the priorities of the Belarusian presidency," the ministry stated.

Preparations were reviewed for the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, which is scheduled for the second half of 2023 in Minsk. A number of documents were approved for further endorsement by the CSTO Collective Security Council, including proposals On Establishing the 'Together for Peace' Medal and On the Distribution of Quota Positions in the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the ministry said.

The ministry said foreign ministers will next convene in Belarus in the fourth quarter of 2023.