DUSHANBE, December 23, 2015, Asia-Plus – A regular meeting of the CIS Council of Ministers of Defense is taking place in Moscow today.

Faridoun Mahmadaliyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan, says more than 20 issues have been tabled to the meeting’s agenda.

The meeting participants are expected to discuss the results of implementation of the military cooperation concept until 2015 and plan a joint work for 2016.

The defense ministers will adopt decisions on the issues related to development of the unified air defense system, communication system, expansion of cooperation in humanitarian demining, training of personnel and so forth, Mahmadaliyev said.

Established on December 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization.  It now consists of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.  Georgia pulled out of the organization in 2009.

The CIS Charter establishes the Council of Ministers of Defense, which is vested with the task of coordinating military cooperation of the CIS member states.  To this end, the Council develops conceptual approaches to the questions of military and defense policy of the CIS member states; develops proposals aimed to prevent armed conflicts on the territory of the member states or with their participation; gives expert opinions on draft treaties and agreements related to the questions of defense and military developments; issues related suggestions and proposals to the attention of the CIS Council of the Heads of State.  Also important is the Council''s work on approximation of the legal acts in the area of defense and military development.