MINSK, 23 August (BelTA) - An extraordinary session of the CSTO Collective Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan will take place in the format of a video conference on 23 August, BelTA learned from the official website of the organization.
“An extraordinary session of the CSTO Collective Security Council is scheduled as a video conference on 23 August. The meeting will focus on the situation in Afghanistan and its influence on the security of the CSTO member states. The session will be chaired by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon,” the statement reads.
A commentary of CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas was published in connection with a dramatic change of the situation in Afghanistan on 16 August. “The rapid advance of the Taliban movement, its takeover of the main part of the territory of Afghanistan, including the state borders and the capital Kabul, as well as the actual change of power in the country have a great influence on the situation in the Central Asian region of the CSTO collective security and cause deep concern,” Stanislav Zas said.
The CSTO has been carefully monitoring the development of the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border. The main goal of the organization in the current circumstances is to ensure the security of the CSTO member states. The priority in the organization's activities continues to be given to political and diplomatic means.
According to Stanislav Zas, in the case of aggravation of the situation and a threat to the security of the Republic of Tajikistan, all necessary collective measures stipulated by the statutory documents will be taken to help the ally. At the same time, it was stated that the Tajik security forces had full control of the situation on the border with Afghanistan, and there was no need to involve the CSTO mechanisms.
Preparations have already begun for an exercise of the CSTO Collective Forces that will take place near the Tajik-Afghan border in the coming months.
It is expected that the situation around Afghanistan will also be one of the main issues on the agenda of the upcoming session of the CSTO Collective Security Council to be held in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, in mid-September.
According to Article 13 of the CSTO Charter, the Collective Security Council is the organization's supreme body. The Council considers fundamental issues of the organization's activities and makes decisions aimed at implementing its goals and objectives, as well as ensures the coordination and joint activities of member states to achieve these goals. The Council consists of the heads of the member states. The Council meetings may be attended by ministers of foreign affairs, defense ministers, secretaries of security councils of the member states, secretary general of the organization, authorized representatives of the member states to the organization and invited persons.
