The security situation in Afghanistan was one of the main topics of discussion at the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China.
Senior defense officials from these countries have expressed concern over the continued insecurity and activities of extremist groups in Afghanistan.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Blosov warned at the meeting that the transfer of militants from the Middle East to Afghanistan continues.
He stressed that the current instability in Afghanistan has led to an increase in transnational crime and security threats in the region.
Blossov also called for expanding cooperation between member states to combat terrorism in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine. He had previously said that more than 20 terrorist groups were operating in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
Meanwhile, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also stressed the need to seriously fight terrorism and called on the members of the Organization to strongly condemn the phenomenon of terrorism.
He called for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and said New Delhi remained focused on providing humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
The next meeting of SCO defense ministers is scheduled to be held in Kyrgyzstan next year.
In response, the Taliban have once again denied the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
However, international organizations and a number of countries in the region have repeatedly expressed concern about the presence and activities of extremist groups in Afghanistan.
