MINSK, 9 April (BelTA) – The heads of government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will discuss joint efforts to combat COVID-19 at a meeting in Minsk, First Deputy Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee - CIS Executive Secretary Viktor Guminsky told the media, BelTA has learned.
“The CIS is a large integration association where considerable attention is paid to bilateral relations and inter-regional contacts. For example, in the year of Belarus' chairmanship in the CIS, a large forum of regions is to take place in Uzbekistan where appropriate contracts will be signed. We are working on new approaches and forms of cooperation, and they are already in effect. We have embarked on preparations for the meeting of the CIS Heads of Government Council due in Minsk on 28 May. The pandemic-related matters will also be on the agenda of the meeting. By the way, I would like to emphasize that the Commonwealth demonstrates exceptionally coordinated approach to this issue. A testimony to that are many meetings and events that have been held,” Viktor Guminsky said.
According to him, the Commonwealth acts as a united front, defending the interests of the member states and their citizens, including in counteracting the glorification of Nazism. “We live and will live for the sake of the peoples of our countries. However, not everything is so simple: our so-called partners do not want us to develop faster and our people to live better. They resort to all sorts of threats, sanctions to slow us down. I want to say that we are optimists. We won the Great Patriotic War - we will win now. There is no doubting it. You just need to work for the good of your countries, for the good of the Commonwealth,” he concluded.
BelTA reported earlier that Belarus presides in the CIS in 2021. The concept of the Belarusian presidency aims to develop coherent approaches to pressing issues of the regional agenda, strengthen multilateral cooperation for the comprehensive and balanced economic and social development of the CIS member states, and to achieve the CIS Sustainable Development Goals. The Belarusian presidency will work towards achieving synergy effect from the cooperation of the CIS member states in various integration associations and organizations - the EAEU, CSTO, SCO. Much attention will also be paid to ensuring close cooperation between the CIS Executive Committee, CIS industry bodies with the executive bodies of these organizations in solving similar problems, while respecting the principle of multi-level and multi-speed integration but seeking to engage as many participants as possible in the effort to deepen integration in various sectors.
