Media reports said yesterday the Defense Minister of Belarus Viktor Khrenin has announced that the Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov was elected Chairman of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).  

According to Khrenin, this decision was made at a meeting of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers held in Minsk.  

Military delegations from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took part in the meeting.

One of the topics of the meeting of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers was the development of military cooperation between the member states of the association.  In addition, the heads of military departments plan to coordinate joint activities of the armed forces for 2025.  

The Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS is a working body in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) responsible for military policy of the CIS.  It coordinates military cooperation of the CIS member states, and develops military and defense policy of the CIS

With the exception of Colonel-General Kostyantyn Morozov of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, who headed the CIS Council of Defense Ministers from December 22, 1991 to May 18, 1992, the post of Chairman of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS has historically been concurrent with the post of Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.