The next meeting of the Coordinating Committee on Air Defense under the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS member states took place yesterday in Tashkent.

The joint air defense system of the CIS member states was established on the basis of the agreement between ten CIS countries, signed on February 10, 1995 in Almaty. Currently, it includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The meeting of the Coordination Committee hosted by the Situation Center of the Academy of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan was attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee - CIS Executive Secretary Agybai Smagulov, officials of the Secretariat of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS member states, commanders of the Air Defense Forces (Air Force and Air Defense Forces) of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Minister of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan A. Azizov addressed the meeting mentioning that in Uzbekistan, the defense policy is based on the Defense Doctrine of the Republic of Uzbekistan, adopted on the initiative of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The main principles of the Defense Doctrine are the non-use of military force against other states, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, the peaceful settlement of possible disputes, defense sufficiency, and the adequacy of the military system to the nature of modern military conflicts. He also pointed to the upward trend in the military cooperation within the CIS with enhanced coordinating role of the Council of Defense Ministers, and underscoring the important role of the Coordination Committee in strengthening the security of the Commonwealth airspace.

In accordance with the agenda of the meeting, the attendees reviewed the issues related to the improvement and development of the integrated air defense system, as well as the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral military cooperation of the CIS member states in the field of air defense.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Air Defense Coordination Committee, Chief of the General Staff of the Air and Space Forces of the Russian Federation P. Kurachenko.

During the meeting, changes were made to the composition of the Coordinating Committee on Air Defense, with the work of the Committee and its bodies for 2017 summed up. The plan for the joint computer command and staff drill of the joint air defense system - "Regional Security -2018" and the draft plan for implementation of the Concept of the Development of the Unified System of State Radar Identification were approved.

The attendees at a media briefing which followed, noted with satisfaction that all the issues were successfully finalized.