MINSK, 27 May (BelTA) – Belarus' presidency in the CIS in successful, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee – CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said as he met with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 27 May, BelTA has learned.
“We are gearing up for important events in the Commonwealth of Independent States. This year, Belarus is presiding in the CIS,” the Belarusian president pointed out at the start of the conversation.
“And doing it successfully,” Sergei Lebedev noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko thanked him for appreciation. “There is still much to be done. I think, you and the CIS heads of state will give the final assessment in October [at the CIS summit],” he noted.
The CIS should analyze its previous experience, decide how to move forward, set more ambitious goals, and make a breakthrough, Aleksandr Lukashenko said. He suggested discussing the relevant issues at the summit scheduled for October 2021.
So far, Belarus' presidency in the CIS has been very busy, Sergei Lebedev pointed out.
“We can do even better! We will step it up!” Aleksandr Lukashenko assured him.
Many events, including face-to-face ones, have already been held under the auspices of Belarus' presidency in the CIS, Sergei Lebedev noted. The CIS Foreign Ministers Council have met in person and Minsk will host an offline meeting of the CIS heads of government on 28 May. “This is great. We see active engagement of the Belarusian authorities overseeing Belarus' presidency in the CIS and the implementation of all activities. And there are a lot of them, held both in Belarus and abroad,” Sergei Lebedev said.
This year, the CIS celebrates its 30th anniversary, Sergei Lebedev noted. “You are absolutely right that we should not only look back, but also make plan for the future. I would like to point out that we have been thinking and working on how to make the CIS more effective. We are working together with the EAEU on this,” he added.
