TULA, September 29. /TASS/. Defense cooperation issues will receive priority attention during Russia’s chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2024, CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev said.

"Russia will assume the chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States next year. Work is being finalized on an overall concept for the 2024 chairmanship and an action plan for implementing it. I am confident that defense and military cooperation, military training and patriotic education based on the previously approved concepts and agreements will receive priority attention during Russia’s chairmanship," he said at a meeting of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers.

Lebedev also pointed out that new challenges and threats required the comprehensive deployment of the CIS’ integrative capacities. "Given how quickly the situation is changing, and for the worse, it is crucial that we preserve the unity of the CIS member states in protecting our common interests along with the readiness to take preventive measures, particularly in the field of military self-sufficiency. The agenda of today’s meeting clearly reflects the council’s desire to keep pace with the demands of the times and its busy and diverse activities," he stressed.

The CIS secretary general expressed confidence that, "coordinated decisions will be made on all the issues under discussion, which will allow the Council of Defense Ministers to continue playing a key role in ensuring security across the CIS space."