Central Asian countries raise concerns on terror threat from Afghanistan

Moscow [Russia], May 19 (ANI): Central Asian countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) on Monday expressed a unanimous view that Afghanistan remains "a serious destabilising factor" in the region during the alliance's meeting in Moscow.
The CSTO is a Eurasian regional security grouping comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation and Tajikistan.
"The unstable situation in this country, as well as the unrelenting activity of armed groups on the territory of Afghanistan, continue to threaten the security and stability of our states," Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev said as quoted by Asian Lite.
President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov insisted that the Afghan problem should remain at the centre of CSTO attention and analysis.
"We see that over the past four decades, negative factors have been accumulating that have contributed to the deterioration of the military-political and socio-economic situation in this country (Afghanistan). In this regard, the CSTO needs to be ready for various scenarios for the development of the situation on the southern borders," Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin who was also present at the meeting assured the grouping that Russia would help in equipping CSTO member countries with modern weapons and equipment.
President Putin also reaffirmed that Russia will continue to contribute to the deepening of strategic alliance relations with all CSTO member states.
The CTSO is based on the Collective Security Treaty, signed in 1992 as a follow-up to the Commonwealth of Independent States, and was officially established in 2002.
The leaders, as they celebrated the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Collective Security Treaty and the 20th anniversary of the creation of the CSTO, underscored that the organisation remains a solid system of collective security which was built in the vast expanse of Eurasia. (ANI)