CSTO Head Discusses Afghanistan Security with Kazakhstan President

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Imanquli Tasmasbetov, head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), met with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday, April 14, in Astana to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan, particularly border areas.

The leaders addressed progress on an intergovernmental program to strengthen the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border, according to a CSTO statement. Tasmasbetov announced upcoming meetings of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers, Council of Defense Ministers, and Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils.

In related remarks, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stated at the "Afghanistan and Central Asia Consultative Meeting" in Kabul that the Taliban would not tolerate the use of Afghan soil against neighboring countries and that their stance is serious.

Separately, at the ninth regional meeting of border agency heads from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on April 19, participants warned that the unstable situation in Afghanistan would have destructive effects on Central Asian border security. They agreed on practical measures to maintain stable external borders amid ongoing concerns from Central Asian states over post-Taliban threats.