Russian President Vladimir Putin says that there is a possibility of the militants of terrorist groups infiltrating from Afghanistan into the territory of the member countries of the Collective Security Council, the main body of the Moscow-led bloc known as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
According to the Sputnik news agency, on Wednesday, November 23, Putin highlighted the situation in Afghanistan as ‘challenging’ at the meeting of the leaders of CSTO in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
“I share the concerns of my colleagues who have spoken out about the situation in Afghanistan. It remains, of course, challenging. The risk that militants of various international terrorist organizations infiltrate the territory of the CSTO member states is still high, and the spread of extremist ideologies among the population of the Central Asian countries increases the risk of a resurgence of clandestine radical groups in the region,” Putin said at the organization’s summit.
Putin called for greater coordination of member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization regarding Afghanistan and said it is necessary.
“And, of course, [it’s necessary] to neutralize these threats with the help of joint special operations and operational measures that have proven their effectiveness,” he further added.
The President of Russia has noted that Moscow will help to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan and within the framework of other multilateral mechanisms. The first task is to form an inclusive government in this country, he emphasized.
In addition, Putin continued by saying the priority now is “to ensure the formation of a truly inclusive Afghan government, which will include representatives of all ethnic groups at the right level.” The Special Russian Presidential Representative to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that the Moscow Format Consultations conference was conducted without the presence of the Taliban and added the Taliban are not serious about forming an inclusive government.
