MINSK, 27 May (BelTA) – The Commonwealth of Independent States will step up cooperation amid sanctions and increased pressure from Western countries. Sergei Lebedev, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CIS Executive Secretary, made the statement after meeting with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 27 May, BelTA has learned.
The official said: “The life itself encourages us to make the Commonwealth of Independent States more effective. In conditions of sanctions and increased pressure from Western countries on the CIS states we are forced to step up our interaction, cooperation. We see it as our salvation, as a way out of the complicated situation that our partners in the West have forced us into. It is possible to improve interaction by stepping up our economic cooperation and humanitarian ties.”
Sergei Lebedev remarked that as the country presiding over the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2021 Belarus can give a new impulse to interaction within the framework of the organization. “Nations of the CIS states desire it. Friendly relations have been preserved between representatives of the nations of our countries as well as the knowledge of culture, literature, and art of each other. There is a desire to maintain contacts, invigorate tourism in the CIS space,” the official stated. “We will do our best to not only preserve our cooperation but develop it, perfect it, and increase the volume of mutual ties. And most importantly their usefulness.”
According to Sergei Lebedev, he had a very good and sincere talk with the president of Belarus. “I felt he closely follows the progress of the republic's presidency in the CIS. He wants this presidency to be effective. I can confirm the country manages to accomplish it,” he said.
During the meeting Sergei Lebedev told Aleksandr Lukashenko about the agenda of tomorrow's meeting of the CIS Heads of Government Council in Minsk. “It is important for the president to prepare for the autumn meeting of the CIS Heads of State Council, which will take place in Minsk on 15 October. He said it. Now the Belarus President Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the CIS Executive Committee are working out the agenda of the forthcoming meeting of the heads of state,” Sergei Lebedev said. “We strongly hope that no COVID or any other circumstances will prevent the presidents from meeting in person and talking sincerely about pressing problems of the Commonwealth of Independent States.”
Sergei Lebedev stated that there is a fair share of problems in the Commonwealth of Independent States, they are recognized and seen. “But to resolve these problems is the most important thing for me and the Belarus president. There is a desire to jointly resolve these problems. There is an understanding that we cannot resolve them separately. We can resolve these problems only if we work together. Those are economic and foreign policy problems. But when we are together, it is much easier to resolve them,” the official concluded.
