Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian National Security Council, says the situation in Afghanistan will be one of the main topics at the upcoming International Security Conference in Moscow. The event is scheduled to take place late next month with representatives from over 150 countries in attendance.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Shoigu stated that the Russian Security Council intends to explore ways to enhance security cooperation with countries referred to as the “Global Majority” or the “Global South and East” during the conference.

Shoigu noted that Afghanistan alongside issues such as the situation in the Middle East and Syria remains a top foreign policy priority for Russia.

“Security issues in the post-Soviet space, including Afghanistan, as well as the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation with neighboring countries, especially through platforms like the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be major points of discussion,” he said.

The conference is set to take place on the 27th, 28th, and 29th of next month in the Russian capital.

As part of its efforts to strengthen security ties, the Russian Security Council will also hold meetings with the national security secretaries of countries in the CSTO, BRICS, and the SCO.

This conference comes shortly after Moscow removed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from its list of banned organizations. Following that decision, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, visited Kabul and held talks with officials from the Islamic Emirate on Russia-Afghanistan relations.