Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council in Yerevan in Armenia on Wednesday the situation in Afghanistan remains highly concerning and that the threat of a potential infiltration of militants into the CSTO territory is high.

“I share the concern of colleagues who have spoken out about the situation in Afghanistan. It remains, of course, difficult. The threat of infiltration of militants of various international terrorist organizations into the territory of the CSTO countries is still high, and the spread of extremist ideology among the population of Central Asian countries increases the risk of activation of the radical structures in the region,” Putin said at the CSTO summit in Yerevan.

Putin added that Russia will contribute to stabilization efforts in Afghanistan.

“We will promote stabilization in Afghanistan within the framework of other multilateral mechanisms,” he said, adding that a week ago, a meeting of the Moscow format of consultations were in no way intended to initiate an unwarranted intervention in Afghanistan.

They are particularly aimed to assist Afghanistan in finding solutions to enhance the country’s national security, especially in the country’s fight against terrorism and measures to form an inclusive government, he said.

“The priority task at this stage is to ensure the formation of a truly inclusive Afghan government, which will include representatives of all ethnic groups,” Putin stated.

The Islamic Emirate, however, says that the Afghan security and defense forces are capable of fighting terrorism on their own.