Terrorism and extremism in Afghanistan are a threat to the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), said Viktor Makhmudov, Secretary of Uzbekistan's National Security Council.
Mukhmudov, who was speaking at the meeting of defense ministers of the member countries of SCO in Tashkent, emphasised that border surveillance with Afghanistan should be strengthened further.
At the Tashkent SCO meeting on Wednesday, defense ministers of the member countries expressed their concern about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that with the active presence of Islamic State-Khurasan (IS-K) and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, religious radicalism is also on the rise across the region.
In the meeting, cooperation in defense, stability, and security among SCO members and the coordination of the member countries to deal with challenges and threats were discussed.
Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and India are permanent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.