Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin has warned that the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan could trigger a humanitarian crisis and create conditions for the spread of extremist ideologies and terrorist groups into member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Speaking at a meeting of the CSTO Defence Ministers Council in Moscow, Khrenin said the security situation within the organization’s area of responsibility had not improved since last year, citing emerging threats in Central Asia and developments in Iran.

Khrenin called on CSTO countries to increase participation in joint military training activities and expand cooperation with other states and organizations that share the bloc’s security principles.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a Russia-led military alliance established in 2002 that brings together Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.

Regional countries including Russia have repeatedly raised concerns about security threat from Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concern reiterating that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against other countries.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned the killing of four farm workers in southern Italy, describing the crime as “horrific” and pledging that those responsible will be brought to justice.

In a statement posted on social media platform X on Wednesday, Meloni said the murders in the Calabria region had “shocked us all” and welcomed the arrests made in connection with the case.

She said investigators were able to identify suspects partly through evidence gathered from surveillance cameras installed in the area where the killings occurred.

The prime minister expressed her condolences to the victims’ families and stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the crime.

“Italy does not back down in the face of violence and barbarity. It is essential to shed ​full light on this terrible crime and bring all those responsible to justice,” she said.

The migrants were found on Monday in a burned-out van parked in a petrol station in Amendolara, in the southern region of Calabria. Surveillance cameras showed two people setting the car alight with their victims still alive inside. Three of the ​dead were fellow ⁠Afghans, while the fourth was Pakistani

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate has called on Italian authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the incident.