MINSK, 7 July (BelTA) – CIS experts continue working on the draft statement of the heads of state on occasion of the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. A videoconference session of the expert group in charge of reconciling the document took place on 7 July, the press service of the CIS Executive Committee told BelTA.
Representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the CIS Executive Committee took part in the session.
As he opened the session, Aleksei Sazonov, Director of the Department of Humanitarian Cooperation, General Political and Social Problems of the CIS Executive Committee, said that the statement had been prepared by specialists of the CIS Executive Committee and had been reviewed by the CIS member states. The draft statement reflects evaluations of development of integration cooperation in the Commonwealth of Independent States and outlines new cooperation guidelines. In his opinion, the proposals submitted by the countries and remarks concerning the text of the document as well as active discussion by experts indicate the CIS states are interested in persistently advancing cooperation within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States while improving forms and methods of the work of CIS bodies.
As a result of the discussion the experts approved the draft statement as a whole as well as corresponding draft decisions of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council and the CIS Heads of State Council. Work on the draft statement of the CIS leaders will continue. The next meeting of experts in charge of reconciling the document will take place in early August.
