The first meeting of the defense ministers of Central Asian countries took place in historical Samarkand.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan, the defense ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan gathered in Samarkand.
The meeting participants first laid wreaths at the memorial “Grieving Mother” in memory of those killed in World War II, after which a meeting of the defense ministers of the region was held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Defense of Uzbekistan, Lieutenant General Shukhrat Kholmukhamedov.
At the meeting, an address by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev was read, in which he emphasized that the bonds of peace and unity between the fraternal peoples are strengthened through cooperation and solidarity, and wished success to the work of the forum.
The ministers discussed the current state and prospects of cooperation between the defense departments of the region, issues of ensuring security, developing military-technical cooperation and the joint fight against international terrorism.
Today, the ministers of defense of Central Asia will also visit the regional joint exercises “Birlik – 2025” (“Unity – 2025”), which will take place at the Kattakurgan military training ground near Samarkand with the participation of units of the defense departments of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.