YEREVAN, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS. The regular session of the Council of the Defense Ministers of the CSTO member states took place on May 23 in Astana, presided over by the Defense Minister of Kazakhstan, Colonel-General Saken Zhasuzakov.

The session was attended by CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov and CSTO Chief of Joint Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov. Issues related to the strengthening of military cooperation were discussed at the session. A number of decisions were signed.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, in the sidelines of the session Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu held a bilateral meeting. During the meeting the two Defense Ministers congratulated each other on the occasion of being appointed and expressed readiness to develop Armenian-Russian strategic and allied relations on bilateral and multilateral formats. Regional and international issues, as well as opportunities to respond to the existing challenges by joint efforts were also discussed.

President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev received the participants of the Defense Ministers Council of the CSTO.

English –translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan