TULA, September 29. /TASS/. The military and political state of affairs in the world obliges member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to have powerful armies capable of responding quickly to emerging threats, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers.

"Today, we will launch joint preparations to celebrate the 80th anniversary of our peoples' victory in the Great Patriotic War, and we can still take some lessons from it. Namely, the need to have well-equipped and well-trained armed forces ready to respond adequately to challenges and threats. The current military and political situation in the world obliges us to do so," Shoigu said.

He suggested "discussing the global agenda, the goals of cooperation <...> between defense agencies, ways to expand ties, enhance traditional areas of cooperation and search for new ones."