Statement by the foreign ministers of the CSTO member countries on the situation in Afghanistan

We, the foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) member countries, declare that an early settlement in the situation in Afghanistan is an important factor in preserving and enhancing security and stability in the region.

We advocate the development of Afghanistan as an independent, unified and peaceful state free from terrorism, war and drugs.

We express our concern over the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan and the invigorated activity of international terrorist organisations, primarily ISIS and its affiliate, Wilayat Khorasan, on the territory of Afghanistan .

We resolutely denounce terrorist attacks that kill civilians, employees of government bodies and foreign diplomatic missions.

We urge the current Afghan authorities to step up their counterterrorism measures, eradicate terrorism on the country’s territory and prevent its turning into a hotbed of international terrorism.

We are concerned about the growing drug trafficking in Afghanistan, including the risk of it spreading into neighbouring countries. We emphasise the importance of Kabul following through on its commitments to eliminate drug production and drug-related crime.

We urge the current authorities and the leaders of the main ethno-political and religious groups of Afghanistan to hold a constructive dialogue with a view to establishing a truly inclusive government.

We emphasise the need for the current Afghan authorities to fulfil their assumed commitments to observe basic human rights principles, including the rights of women and girls, as well as access to education. We call for the observance of the fundamental rights and freedoms of ethnic groups, including the prevention of harassment and the forceful resettlement of people from the places of their permanent residence on ethnic or religious grounds.

Considering the humanitarian situation that is developing in Afghanistan, we advocate the continuing effort of the international community to assist the Afghan people, including eliminating the burden of unilateral sanctions.

We urge the prevention of the deployment of military facilities by third countries on the territory of Afghanistan and the adjacent states.

We confirm our willingness to assist Afghanistan with a concerted effort to counter the threats to regional security that emanate from it with a view to maintaining peace and stability on the CSTO’s southern borders. We advocate the adoption of measures to strengthen sections of the Tajik-Afghan border. We will step up our efforts in the working group on Afghanistan at the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers.

We welcome the work of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan and note the potential of other multilateral platforms on an Afghanistan settlement. We note the importance of implementing the initiative on creating a security belt around Afghanistan.

We consider it worthwhile to study the possibility of involving Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan in the CSTO’s activities on the Afghanistan agenda.

We agreed to continue coordinating our efforts in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan and around it.