DUSHANBE, 9 October (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has arrived in Dushanbe. In Tajikistan’s capital city the Belarusian leader will take part in a session of the CIS Heads of State Council on 10 October, BelTA has learned.
Tajikistan Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov, Ambassador of Belarus to Tajikistan Viktor Denisenko, and other officials welcomed Aleksandr Lukashenko at the Dushanbe airport.
Apart from that, children wearing national costumes greeted Aleksandr Lukashenko not only in their native tongue but also in Belarusian. The participation of an honor guard company in the welcome ceremony added to the solemnity of the event. The airport itself was decorated with floral installations in the shape of the flags of the countries that will be represented at the CIS Heads of State Council session.
BelTA reported earlier that about 20 items will be offered for consideration of the CIS heads of state. In view of the organization’s 35th anniversary that is due in 2026 plans have been made to consider a series of initiatives aimed at reinforcing the organization’s international positioning, in particular, initiatives on creating the CIS Plus format and on granting the CIS observer status to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Aleksandr Lukashenko was previously quoted as saying that Belarus welcomes the initiative to launch the CIS Plus format as a new platform of multilateral cooperation of the Commonwealth of Independent States with international partners. The Belarusian leader made the relevant statement in Minsk on 30 September at a meeting with heads of the government delegations, which were taking part in sessions of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council and the CIS Heads of Government Council.
The agenda of the Dushanbe session of the CIS Heads of State Council also includes matters concerning energy security, cooperation in defense, in border security, and in fight against transboundary crime.
Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov talked to reporters about peculiarities and the significance of the upcoming summit. According to the official, the event is significant not only as a negotiating venue for likeminded individuals, for those, who lead the CIS states, build their independence in similar conditions, and therefore organizes cooperation within the framework of this international organization in a range of cooperation avenues. On the sidelines of the summit the heads of state will have opportunities for bilateral meetings and for discussing relations between countries.
The minister of foreign affairs pointed out that the Commonwealth of Independent States was founded nearly 35 years ago and since then has acquired traits of a serious international organization. Nevertheless, the organization keeps developing and a number of facts confirm it. In particular, the expansion of opportunities for new participants and the status of other states under the Commonwealth of Independent States will be discussed during the forthcoming summit.
“Decisions on more serious international positioning of the CIS will be made. Cooperation with other regional organizations will be discussed as well as giving the observer status to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” Maxim Ryzhenkov stressed.
Apart from that, a regular session of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States is scheduled to take place in Dushanbe on 9 October. Key items concerning the enhancement of multilateral interaction within the framework of the Commonwealth are on the session’s agenda.
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