Tajikistan Holds Talks On Securing Afghan Border

Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov (file photo) (AFP) March 6, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov met today with the secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha called for increased cooperation between the CSTO and Tajikistan and for tightened security on the Tajik-Afghan border.

He also talked about plans to transform the organization into a body that can meet "any kinds of challenges and threats."

"We are thinking about transforming the organization from a military and political bloc into a multifunctional, versatile security system, an organization that would be able to meet any kinds of challenges and threats -- from military threats to terrorism, extremism, illegal trade in narcotics, industrial and natural disasters."

The CSTO includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Its main purpose is deepening military and political cooperation to ensure security of the member-states on a collective basis.