The CSTO, which comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, said its working group has completed a three-day trip to Kabul.
"During the meetings, Afghan representatives unanimously spoke for cooperation with the CSTO, first of all in the fight against terrorism and illegal drug trafficking. The participants stressed the necessity of launching joint activities in the region, as well as on drug trafficking routes," the CSTO said.
Afghanistan has regained its position as the world's top drug producer since U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban in 2001.
Illegal drug production and trade is the only source of income for many in the war-torn southwest Asian nation, and is a major source of financing for Islamist militants.
Two CSTO members, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, share borders with Afghanistan and are major trafficking routes for drug smugglers from the country. Heroin and other drugs from Afghanistan have also flooded Russia and other ex-Soviet states since the 1990s.
The working group on Afghanistan was created as a working body under the CSTO foreign ministerial council in June 2005 to focus on making recommendations on measures to fight the drug threat and contribute to the establishment of institutions of state power in Afghanistan.
In December 2002, Russia's Defense Ministry signed a contract with Afghanistan to provide military-technical assistance to the Central Asian state with deliveries of motor vehicles, fuel and lubricants, communication equipment, topographic maps, truck-mounted repair workshops and automobile and armor equipment spare parts.
However, deliveries of Russian weaponry to Afghanistan were suspended in 2005, allegedly in order to avoid "the duplication" of U.S. aid to the country, which that year totaled over $929 million, more than 80% of which was earmarked for the military and police.
