CSTO, SCO and CIS to Hold Joint Meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has announced that a joint meeting with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on Afghanistan will be held in Moscow on October 15 and 16.

The meeting will discuss expanding cooperation among the three organizations in areas of mutual interest, including security issues related to Central Asia and Afghanistan.

A statement from the CSTO reads: "On October 15 and 16, a joint meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be held in Moscow to discuss security issues in Central Asia and Afghanistan."

Although Afghanistan is not a formal member of any of these three organizations, the Islamic Emirate has previously called for Afghanistan's full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate had also emphasized that an Afghan representative should be present at meetings where issues concerning Afghanistan are discussed.

Yousuf Amin Zazai, Political Analyst, said: "Regional countries and organizations can play a role, to some extent, in resolving Afghanistan's problems, and it is good for them to engage in these matters. Unfortunately, however, they mostly focus on issues that are not priorities and pay greater attention to peripheral matters."

The joint meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the Commonwealth of Independent States on Afghanistan is scheduled to take place in Moscow as Russia's foreign minister emphasized cooperation with Afghanistan in combating terrorism during the eighth Moscow Format meeting earlier this week.