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Taking part in the meeting chaired by President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, were Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, Stanislav Zas.

During the extraordinary session, the participants discussed matters of ensuring security of the  Background information Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) CSTO member states in relation to the developments in Afghanistan, as well as efficient joint response to potential cross-border challenges and threats.

In his speech, the President of Russia, like other heads of state, expressed his deep concern over the developments in Afghanistan and potential threats coming from there.

The importance of preventing the infiltration of radical Islamism in the CSTO member states was noted as well as the recruitment of their citizens into extremist groups, including via the internet and social media. Afghan drug trafficking is still an acute problem, so the CSTO will have to carefully monitor the developments in Afghanistan.

The meeting participants, including Vladimir Putin, expressed serious concern over the fact that the Islamic State (a terrorist organisation banned in Russia) still holds strong positions in Afghanistan, a trend that poses serious danger to the CSTO space.

The President of Russia informed the meeting participants in detail about his telephone conversations on Afghanistan with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of France Emmanuel Macron, and Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi. Afghanistan was also on the agenda of the recent talks between Vladimir Putin and Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, held in Moscow on August 20.

In his speech, the President of Russia also focused on the need to coordinate approaches, including within the United Nations, the UN Security Council and the  Background information Group of Twenty – G20 G20.

Following the meeting, the heads of state agreed to issue instructions to promptly develop joint response measures to the potential threats coming from Afghanistan today, because, as stressed by the participants in the extraordinary session, there are real risks for the entire region of Eurasia and the world at large.

The leaders expect these instructions to be implemented by September 16, when the heads of state will meet at the regular session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in Dushanbe, where the dialogue on Afghanistan will continue.