Moscow. February 9th. INTERFAX - Strengthening the borders with Afghanistan is still a priority, although there is no direct military threat from the Taliban (the Taliban movement is recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation) now, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) said Stanislav Zas.
"Now we see that there is no direct threat of military expansion from the Taliban on the territory of neighboring states. But at the same time, the urgency of other threats emanating from this territory is increasing: terrorist, drug trafficking," Zas said on Wednesday at a conference of the Valdai discussion club.
According to him, the situation in the Central Asian region remains difficult, and Afghanistan is a long-term hotbed of instability. "In the most difficult conditions that are happening there now, armed formations, gang groups, terrorist organizations are becoming more active. Drug trafficking is also becoming more active as one of the few sources of people's survival," Zas said.
"We mean this and intend to continue to give priority attention to strengthening the Tajik-Afghan border, ensuring the security of our southern borders," the CSTO Secretary General said.
