CIS States to Discuss Plans on Joint Air Defense System Tuesday

The Russian Defense Ministry said that on Tuesday representatives of eight member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States will discuss plans to develop a joint air defense system during a meeting in the Russian city of Astrakhan.

ASTRAKHAN (Sputnik) — Representatives of eight member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will discuss plans to develop a joint air defense system during a meeting in the Russian city of Astrakhan on Tuesday, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The questions of the improvement and development of a joint air defense system of the CIS member states will be discussed on September 5 in Astrakhan by the members of the coordinating committee for air defense, attached to the council of the defense ministers of the Commonwealth," the press service told reporters.

The 47th committee meeting will gather together delegations from the Defense Ministries of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

After the meeting, the committee members will continue their work at the Ashuluk range in the Astrakhan region, where the Combat Commonwealth-2017 drills of an integrated CIS air defense network are taking place, the ministry's press service noted.

The CIS was established in December 1991 and is a regional organization that formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union.