Russia-led military bloc discusses Afghan situation

Leaders of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) participated in an extraordinary session of the military alliance via video link on Monday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, reported Xinhua.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "deep concern" over the developments in Afghanistan and potential threats emanating from the Central Asian country, the Kremlin said in a press release.

The participants discussed issues of ensuring the security of the CSTO member states and effective joint response to possible cross-border challenges and threats.

The leaders noted that it is important to prevent the infiltration of radical Islamism into the territory of the CSTO member countries and to prevent extremists from recruiting their citizens, including through the internet and social networks.

They consider the problem of Afghan drug trafficking "extremely acute" and the CSTO will have to closely monitor how the situation will develop.

The meeting, chaired by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, was also attended by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, together with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas.

The CSTO is a Russia-led military alliance created in 1992, grouping the six former Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, with the aim of safeguarding peace and stability in Eurasia.