Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Kazakhstan, emphasised on the importance of focusing on Afghanistan's development to prevent international terrorist groups from exploiting its territory.

He also stressed on the need for ongoing assistance to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Tokayev raised this issue on Wednesday at the nineteenth meeting of National Security Advisors of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). This two-day meeting began on Tuesday in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan has stated that important international issues within the scope of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's responsibilities, such as collaborative counterterrorism measures, addressing separatism, extremism, and combating illegal drug trafficking, will be addressed during this meeting.

Additionally, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan emphasised that combating organised crimes and fostering cooperation in international information security are key agenda items for this meeting.