DUSHANBE, December 24, 2015, Asia-Plus -- The 69th session of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers took place in Moscow on December 23.

The meeting was reportedly attended by the defense ministers of Armenia Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as well as representatives of the CIS Executive Committee.

More than 20 items on different directions of cooperation between the defense ministries have been tabled to the meeting’s agenda.

The meeting participants, in particular, discussed the results of implementation of the military cooperation concept until 2015 and planned a joint work for 2016.

They also made decisions on development of the unified air defense system, communications system, expansion of cooperation in humanitarian demining, training of military personnel, joint events of command and combat training as well as military-sports events in the CIS format.

The approaches to develop a draft agreement on a joint communication system of the armed forces of the CIS states were adopted.  The draft concept of aerospace defense, as well as conceptual, organizational and technical and legal approaches to the drafting of an agreement on joint (combined) communication system, the armed forces of the CIS were reportedly approved.

Established on December 8, 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.