RASC News Agency: The Chief of the General Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has declared that Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, is not a safe zone but rather a direct threat to regional and neighboring countries. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, January 30, Andrey Serdyukov emphasized that Afghanistan has become a focal point for instability, the proliferation of radical ideologies, terrorism, and narcotics trafficking posing a critical security challenge to CSTO member states.
According to a TASS news report, Serdyukov acknowledged certain developments in Afghanistan but maintained that the country continues to be a major destabilizing force in the region. In response to these concerns, CSTO has announced a series of large-scale military exercises scheduled for 2025 across Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus. Serdyukov stated that these drills are designed to strengthen military preparedness in crisis scenarios and reinforce regional security.
He further underscored CSTO’s strategic priorities for 2025, which include modernizing security infrastructures and equipping member states with advanced military technology. The permanent members of the CSTO include Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Detailing the timeline of the upcoming military maneuvers, Serdyukov revealed: Belarus will host the exercises in September 2025. Kyrgyzstan will conduct its drills in early October 2025. Tajikistan will hold its exercises in late October 2025. The Tajikistan drills, titled “Indestructible Brotherhood,” have been specifically designed as counterterrorism operations.
This is not the first time CSTO officials have expressed concerns regarding Afghanistan’s security situation. CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov previously warned that terrorism and illicit drug trafficking originating from Afghanistan continue to pose severe risks to Central Asia. He reaffirmed that Afghanistan remains the primary source of instability in the region, with its deteriorating security conditions necessitating heightened vigilance from CSTO member states.
