MOSCOW — Sergey Vershinin, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, has emphasized that countering terrorism threats from Afghanistan remains a priority for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
During a United Nations Security Council meeting on cooperation between the UN and regional organizations including the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the SCO, Vershinin highlighted the challenges posed by terrorism, drug trafficking, and extremism. He noted that the recent Astana Summit approved a program of cooperation to combat these threats for the period 2025-2027, as well as an anti-drug strategy for 2024-2029.
“A constant priority of the SCO is combating terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking, and transnational organized crime, particularly those threats emanating from Afghanistan,” Vershinin said.
He also stressed the importance of strengthening coordination on regional issues, with a specific focus on Afghanistan. “We see good prospects for involving the CSTO in United Nations peacekeeping activities,” he added.
Afghanistan, currently an observer member of the SCO, has not sent any official delegation to SCO meetings since the Taliban took control of the government following the collapse of the previous administration.
