MOSCOW, 5 April (BelTA) – The foreign ministers of the CIS member states have adopted a statement calling for preserving and taking good care of burial sites and monuments of the Great Patriotic War, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Lavrov said following a session of the CIS Ministerial Council in Moscow on 5 April, BelTA has learned.
Belarus' delegation was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei.
According to Sergei Lavrov, the parties discussed and approved a draft statement of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War. The document reaffirms commitment of the CIS member states to the principles and norms of international law, condemns attempts to justify Nazism and calls for reviving meaningful cooperation between countries and peoples based on equality and mutual respect.
The foreign ministers of the CIS member states also discussed preparations for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and related joint events. In particular, a sample of a uniform medal timed to the Victory anniversary was presented at the session.
According to Sergei Lavrov, the participants of the session discussed the international and regional agenda, as well as cooperation prospects within the framework of the CIS. They reviewed implementation of the CIS plan of multilevel ministerial consultations in 2018 and adopted a similar plan for the current year.
The parties also approved a draft agreement on coordination of fundamental research, a draft cooperation agreement on museums and a CIS draft convention on the transfer of the execution of non-custodial sentences. A decision was passed to give the University of Moscow Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia the status of the CIS base organization that will train specialists to combat cybercrime. The provisions of this organization were approved.
Sergei Lavrov noted that high on the agenda was foreign policy coordination by the CIS member states. The heads of the delegations reviewed progress in drafting an action plan to intensify cooperation between the foreign ministries of the CIS member states. This plan is expected to be signed at the next session of the CIS Ministerial Council.
According to the press service of the Belarusian Embassy in Russia, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the CIS Ministerial Council meeting.
The press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that Vladimir Makei also held talks with Rashid Meredov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, to discuss the most topical issues of the bilateral agenda. The parties signed a program to promote cooperation between the ministries for 2019-2020.
