The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) is alarmed by the situation in Afghanistan, the Secretariat told Izvestiya.

“The allies express concern over the situation in Afghanistan and the growing threats in the provinces adjacent to the CSTO's Central Asian Collective Security Region. In this regard, the policy of expanding regional coordination in the counter-terrorism and anti-drugs spheres remains highly relevant. Thus, the implementation of the CSTO's targeted interstate programme to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border is of particular importance and relevance,” Natalia Kharitonova, press secretary of the CSTO Secretariat, told Izvestia.

She stressed that for the CSTO, the territory of Afghanistan remains a source of challenges related to terrorism, extremism and drug crime.