Lavrov Emphasizes CSTO’s Role in Addressing Afghanistan Situation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a meeting with Talatbek Masadykov, the new Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), emphasized the need to strengthen the organization’s cooperation to respond to regional threats, particularly the situation in Afghanistan.
According to the state news agency TASS, Lavrov, referring to the new Secretary General’s experience, said that his familiarity with the key issues of the organization, including emerging security challenges and developments in and around Afghanistan, could provide a suitable basis for advancing the organization’s missions.
The Russian Foreign Minister further stated that the new Secretary General is expected to play an effective role in expanding cooperation among member countries and increasing the efficiency of joint actions—a matter that has gained greater importance given the current instability in Afghanistan and concerns about the implications of the Taliban administration’s policies for regional security.
Lavrov also described the meeting as practically significant and noted that Russia currently holds the chairmanship of the CSTO Council, expressing readiness for close cooperation with the Secretary General and the organization’s Secretariat staff.
The chairmanship of the CSTO was transferred from Kyrgyzstan to Russia on January 1. Talatbek Masadykov, who previously served as Deputy Secretary General and the organization’s Special Representative for Peacekeeping Affairs, has begun his term as the new Secretary General. He is a graduate of Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
