MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2020) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed on Tuesday that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should focus on counterterrorism cooperation, namely, on foreign militants identification and the composition of a list of organizations that are recognized as terrorist.
"Today we will discuss the situation in our region and in the world in general. The tense military and political situation in Afghanistan remains a key topic for discussion. In the context of anti-terrorism cooperation, the CSTO should continue to pay close attention to the identification of foreign terrorists, especially those from the Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS]. The creation of a reliable barrier would contribute to the completion of the work on the formation of a single list of organizations that CSTO countries recognize as terrorist," Lavrov said at the video conference of the CSTO foreign ministers.
The Russian foreign minister noted that the trafficking of drugs, chiefly those of Afghan origin, remained a significant security threat. Lavrov also noted that the drug trafficking income was used for sponsoring terrorist activities.
"CSTO's anti-drug operation, dubbed Channel, plays an important role in the containment [of drug trafficking]. We advocate for the continuing expansion of Channel's geography and believe it should attract new participants. This year we will have to summarize the implementation of the CSTO's anti-drug program for 2015-2020," Lavrov said.
The foreign minister added that it would be useful to synchronize CSTO anti-terrorist programs with corresponding projects of the CIS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in order to ensure maximum consolidation of capacities.
The CSTO unites Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Russia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the alliance, which was established on the basis of the Collective Security Treaty, signed by CIS members in May 1992.
