The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has warned of increasing terrorist activities, drug trafficking, and potential conflicts across the region during a high-level meeting in Moscow. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the joint meeting of foreign ministers, defense ministers, and security council secretaries was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Participants reviewed the security conditions across the CSTO territory and adjacent regions, discussing measures to counter cybercrime, illegal migration, and terrorist risks. The meeting underlined the need to bolster shared defense capabilities to address emerging security challenges.
During the session, documents aimed at strengthening the alliance's military capacity—including the development of joint air forces, air defense systems, and biological security—were prepared for final approval by the Collective Security Council. The next foreign ministers' meeting is scheduled to be held in Tajikistan in the first half of next year.
Tajikistan, a CSTO member state, shares more than 1,300 kilometers of border with Afghanistan, mostly along mountainous terrain beside the Panj River. CSTO officials have repeatedly cautioned that extremist groups in northern Afghanistan, notably ISIS-Khorasan, represent a direct security threat to Central Asia.
Member states remain concerned about cross-border terrorism, drug trafficking, and infiltration from Afghanistan, ranking border management as a top priority. The CSTO comprises Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
In response, the CSTO has implemented a five-year interstate program to reinforce the Tajik-Afghan frontier. Under the plan, member states including Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan are set to provide weapons, military hardware, and technical border surveillance gear to Tajikistan by the end of this year.
Source: Russian Foreign Ministry
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