CSTO will strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border

The Collective Security Treaty Organization intends to strengthen sections of the Tajik-Afghan border this summer to ensure the security of the southern borders of the organization’s zone.

This was reported to the TASS agency on March 12 by the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Imangali Tasmagambetov.

According to him, a meeting of representatives from the interested ministries and agencies of the CSTO member states and members of the Working Group on the refinement of the draft Target Interstate Program for strengthening sections of the Tajik-Afghan border has already taken place.

The draft program was approved by the CSTO Permanent Council and sent for interdepartmental coordination in the member states, Tasmagambetov noted.

The CSTO Secretary General also emphasized the political will of the leadership of Tajikistan, which recognizes the scale of the threats emanating from Afghanistan.

Tajikistan, as a CSTO member, shares a border with Afghanistan that stretches over 1300 kilometers, making it the longest border between CSTO member states and Afghanistan. After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the authorities of Tajikistan have repeatedly expressed concern about the formation of terrorist groups near the Tajik-Afghan border.

However, experts believe that the concerns of the Tajik authorities regarding Afghanistan do not appear convincing, as trade and economic relations between Tajikistan and Afghanistan are steadily developing, with the authorities of both countries openly and secretly engaging in large business ventures. In particular, Tajikistan is systematically increasing the volume of electricity supplies to Afghanistan.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization was established in 1992 in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The organization currently includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Armenia was previously a member, but on February 23, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, announced that the country would withdraw from the CSTO.