Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has arrived in Kyrgyzstan to attend a meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The meeting will take place in Cholpon-Ata, bringing together delegations from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of the council’s secretariat, RT reports.

Participants are expected to discuss key issues in military cooperation among CIS member states and coordinate joint activities for their armed forces for the coming year.

Belousov also plans to visit Russian military facilities in Kyrgyzstan and hold several bilateral meetings.

Earlier, Russia’s State Duma ratified a protocol simplifying military-technical cooperation with Kyrgyzstan. The agreement provides for the supply of military products under contracts without requiring import or export licenses.