Sergei Shoigu, the head of Russia’s Security Council, said on Monday that Moscow hopes to see Afghanistan regain its status as an observer member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations (SCO).

According to a statement issued by ARG, Shoigu met on Monday in Kabul with Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, where he spoke about the issue.

Shoigu also highlighted Russia's desire to expand trade and economic ties with Afghanistan.

He emphasized Russia's willingness to invest in vital sectors such as railways, transportation, industry, agriculture, energy, and mining.

Shoigu also commented on Afghanistan's political stability and security improvements and said these have been crucial in attracting Russian investment.

Shoigu also met with Acting Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid.

These meetings come just a day after Russia’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov announced that a high-level Russian delegation would visit Kabul. He did not however provide details on who this would involve.

Shoigu served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024 before taking over as Secretary of Russia’s Security Council.

Russia has been slowly building ties with the Islamic Emirate since it regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

The Ministry of Information and Culture announced this week it has established a new administrative office called the Directorate for the Preservation of Jihadi Values.

Acting Minister of Information and Culture Khairullah Khairkhwa said this directorate is tasked with “keeping alive the values of jihad and its history.”

Khairkhwa outlined the directorate’s three main functions: producing audio-visual content, establishing a “jihadi museum,” and documenting historical events.

He stated the museum would collect and archive artifacts from Afghanistan’s conflicts with Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States.

He stressed that jihadi museums will also be built in the capital, and in provinces, to collect and display works related to jihad.

Imangali Tasmagambetov, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has said the plan to strengthen the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan will be approved later this month.

In an interview with STV Belarus, Tasmagambetov said: "The Collective Security Treaty Organization will approve the plan to strengthen the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan on November 28 at a meeting in Astana."

He stated that the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan was a serious problem and that the approval of the plan to strengthen Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan will allow member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to jointly guarantee the security of Central Asian countries.

The CSTO has on a number of occasions expressed concern about the security situation in Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate however, has repeatedly rejected claims of militant groups in Afghanistan and has said that the IEA will not allow any group to plan or carry out attacks from Afghanistan soil.

Tasmagambetov also discussed other challenges the organization faces.

“The CSTO is not an aggressive bloc. The task of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is to protect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the member states that are part of our organization.

“If we talk directly about the challenges and threats, these are primarily transnational terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking, illegal arms trafficking and illegal migration. We are working very seriously in all these areas,” he said.