Sergey Lebedev, General Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), has stated his full support for the Collective ySecurity Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) proposal to establish a security belt around Afghanistan.
During a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) security meeting in Moscow, Lebedev expressed his hope that the CIS countries’ efforts will help reduce the activities of international terrorist organizations, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and illegal migration in the region.
Sergey Lebedev said: “We hope that the work of this group will aid in neutralizing the regional situation impacted by international terrorist activities, drug and arms trafficking, along with illegal migration.”
The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on the matter.
Meanwhile, several political analysts have shared differing views on the CIS Secretary General’s remarks regarding the establishment of a security belt around Afghanistan.
“The Commonwealth countries do not fear the Afghan people, but rather are wary of Western powers establishing groups in Afghanistan,” said Salim Paigir, a political analyst.
“The primary concern for Commonwealth countries is indeed economic. They seek to maintain regional security to facilitate increased economic exchange,” said Mohammad Bilal Omar, another political analyst.
The proposal to create a security belt around Afghanistan was initially introduced in January 2022 by Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon during a special CSTO session in Dushanbe.