CSTO to help Tajikistan in case of escalation of tensions on Afghan border

MOSCOW. Sept 16 (Interfax) - The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will help Tajikistan in case of an escalation of tensions on the Afghan border and will hold a largescale exercise in the area in October, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said.

"The presidents of the CSTO member states have agreed to step up efforts toward further cooperation in countering the threats and challenges coming from the territory of Afghanistan. The organization has considered practical collective measures that are aimed at ensuring the security of Tajikistan in the event of an escalation of the border situation," Zas said following the CSTO summit in Dushanbe.

"For the same reason, the CSTO Collective Forces will hold a series of largescale exercises near the Tajik-Afghan border a month from now: Poisk 2021, Echelon 2021, Interaction 2021, and Cobalt 2021. All of them will have the same scenario," the CSTO press service quoted Zas as saying.