The capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, hosted the sixth session focused on Afghanistan's security on Friday, gathering security officials from Iran, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
At the onset of this summit, leaders of the participating delegations engaged in discussions with the Kyrgyz President, as reported by media outlets in Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
Preliminary to the summit, there were strategic meetings among the security council secretaries and advisors from the countries involved.
Originating from a proposal by Tehran, this meeting marks the sixth iteration, taking place in different cities across the region. It serves as a platform for top security officials to deliberate on Afghanistan's pivotal security and political challenges and their broader impact on the region and its populace.
Details regarding the summit's discussions have been scant in media coverage.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Ali Akbar Ahmadian, representing Ali Khamenei and acting as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, articulated Iran's stance on the region's political and security matters. However, the report did not delve into the particulars of these positions.
RIA Novosti, a Russian news agency, earlier conveyed remarks by Nikolai Patrushev, the Russian Security Council's Secretary, indicating the presence of 20 terrorist groups with an estimated 23,000 militants in Afghanistan under the Taliban's dominion.
Patrushev highlighted the persistent issue of drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Central Asia, cautioning that narcotics, produced within Afghanistan, are expected to be smuggled from longstanding reserves to Central Asian territories shortly.
