Dushanbe. October 22. INTERFAX - Chairman of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Majlisi Oli (lower house of parliament) of Tajikistan Mahmadtoir Zokirzoda called on CSTO partners to create a strong security belt around Afghanistan.
"The war in Afghanistan has been going on for more than forty-five years, and what is happening now in this country is not the fault of the Afghan people, but the result of major geopolitical games. I call on all partners to create a strong security belt around Afghanistan in order to prevent the possible expansion of terrorist groups on the territory of the SCO and the CSTO," Zokirzoda said at a meeting in Dushanbe with the composition of the Coordinating Meeting of the Chairmen of the Committees (commissions) on Defense and Security of the CSTO parliaments under the Council of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization.
According to him, "current events and the high risk of a catastrophic scenario emphasize the need to support the countries bordering Afghanistan."
The Chairman of the Majlisi Namoyandagon also noted that the participation of parliamentarians as an observer of the joint exercises of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces "CSTO-2021" taking place in the border areas of Tajikistan with Afghanistan is a clear example of parliamentary monitoring of the military-political situation in the region aimed at ensuring military security.
"The main purpose of the exercises is to demonstrate the readiness of the CSTO forces to respond to new security threats along the Tajik-Afghan border. Due to the unfavorable development of events, the current situation in Afghanistan has become a serious security problem in the region. It is known that the situation in this country directly affects the security of Central Asia. Further escalation of tension in Afghanistan may lead to new challenges in the CSTO area of responsibility," Zokirzoda said.
