MOSCOW, 18 June (BelTA) – Belarus expects that an offline summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States involving the heads of state will take place in Minsk in autumn. Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Igor Petrishenko made the statement during a session of the CIS Economic Council in Moscow on 18 June, BelTA has learned.
According to Igor Petrishenko, a session of the CIS Heads of State Council in Minsk on 15 October will be one of the main events of 2021. The session will be timed to the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. “We expect an offline format of the meeting and hope for a high level of representation of the delegations. A session of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council will take place in Minsk the day before that. It will be a face-to-face meeting as well,” he said.
This is why Igor Petrishenko said he hopes that the CIS Executive Committee will prepare information about progress in realizing the initiatives put forward by the CIS heads of state and heads of government, primarily those concerning economy ahead of the October meeting of the CIS heads of state and the November session of the CIS Heads of Government Council. It would be a good idea to include information about the invigoration of cooperation in production sector and agribusiness, the formation of the common agrarian market, food security in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the reduction of barriers and restrictions impeding the free flow of commodities and services, he noted.
According to Igor Petrishenko, despite the complications caused by the pandemic Belarus' presidency over the Commonwealth of Independent States proceeds successfully this year. “Despite the restrictions between the countries the CIS bodies preserve positive dynamics of cooperation and follow the approved plans,” he stated.
Igor Petrishenko reminded that sessions of the CIS Heads of Government Council, the CIS Foreign Ministers Council have been successfully held this year as well as five sessions of the council of plenipotentiary representatives, six sessions of the Economic Affairs Commission under the CIS Economic Council, and a number of events of sectoral bodies. The current session of the CIS Economic Council is the second one this year.
The creation of a council of transfusiologists was suggested as a result of an international science and practice conference on ensuring the steady operation of national blood supply services of the CIS member states amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Other constructive proposals are in development, which once again underlines the high significance and demand for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Igor Petrishenko added.
