Defence Minister and Army General Sergei Shoigu chaired a meeting of the CIS Council of Defence Ministers in Minsk.
The meeting participants discussed a wide range of issues of comprehensive cooperation between armed forces of the CIS member states. Particular attention was paid to the development of the Joint CIS Air Defence System and holding of the Comradeship-in-Arms 2013 joint live-fire gunnery exercise of Joint CIS Air Defence System.
The participants also addressed cooperation in monitoring ammunition condition, topographic, geodesic and navigational support of the CIS member states’ armed forces, cooperation between engineer troops in demining activities, as well as holding joint events in command and combat training of the CIS member states’ armed forces in 2014.
In addition, the meeting attendees discussed practical interaction of the defence ministries’ legal departments, outlined joint efforts for developing a unified inter-archival reference book in the interest of the CIS countries’ military departments.
A decision has been made to announce 2017 the year of the Defender of the Motherland in the CIS and issue a medal commemorating the 25th anniversary of the withdrawal of Russian troops from Afghanistan, Mr Shoigu said.
