MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is concerned about the downturn in relations between Kabul and Islamabad and believes peace must be reached, CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said at a meeting of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly Council.
"We’re paying close attention to Afghanistan as a source of potential cross-border challenges and threats to Central Asia. The sharp aggravation of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has led to armed clashes, is concerning," Masadykov said.
"We are convinced that both sides of the conflict, as well as the international community, should use all possibilities to find peaceful ways out of the current situation," he stressed.
The CSTO secretary general said that "the organization continues to monitor challenges and threats related to the Afghan issue using the capabilities of the Working Group on Afghanistan under the CSTO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs." He noted "increasing interest in the activities of this working group from specialized agencies of the UN, CIS, SCO, and other international organizations."
According to Masadykov, "the implementation of the targeted interstate program for strengthening the Tajik-Afghan border remains a key task." "Its approval by the leaders of our states demonstrated the readiness of allies to strengthen the southern borders of the organization together," he said.