Defense ministry approves 2023 cooperation plans involving Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

December 9, BPN. Belarusian Ministry of Defense has approved the 2023 cooperation plans with its counterparts in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, its press office reported.

The defense ministers of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) met in Moscow earlier this week.

The meeting focused on challenges and threats to military security and cooperation among the defense agencies in multilateral and bilateral formats.

Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine founded the CIS back in 1991. It includes nine of the 15 former USSR republics.

The SCO was established in 2001 and comprises eight Eurasian states: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Belarus has observer status. In July 2022, media reported that it applied for membership.