DUSHANBE, October 20, 2010, Asia-Plus -- The First Deputy Defense Minister, Ramil Nadyrov, is representing Tajikistan at the 59th session of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers that is being held in Yalta, Ukraine today.

Delegations from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine are participating at the meeting that is expected to consider some 20 issues.

The meeting participants are discussing issues related to prospects of further expansion of cooperation between the CIS nations and examining accomplishments that have resulted from the military cooperation concept.  The participants will also discuss military and technical cooperation.

Established in February 1992, the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS nations is the highest consultative body concerning the questions of military policy and military building.  Georgia officially withdrew from the Council of Defense Ministers in February 2006.