Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, called the situation in Afghanistan concerning and said that this country is still a source of serious security threats.

Patrushev said, "We are following closely and with concern what is happening in Afghanistan."

According to the TASS news agency, in a meeting with his counterparts from the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council blamed the Western countries’ policies for the current situation in Afghanistan.

The 11th round of meetings of the Secretaries of the Security Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States was held on Wednesday in Moscow.

The participants of the meeting included secretaries of the Security Council of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The Secretary of the Russian Security Council addressed his counterparts in this meeting and said that the situation in Afghanistan is a clear confirmation of the “destructiveness of Western policies”.

Patrushev called drug trafficking, terrorist groups’ attempts to infiltrate Central Asia from the Afghan borders, and the export of radicalism and illegal immigration as the threats posed by Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the meeting virtually and emphasised that it is important for members of the Commonwealth of Independent States to make maximum use of the intelligence-analytical potential of their Security Councils for a comprehensive study of the situation in the region and the world.