The CIS is adjusting to the new realities quite well, Chairman of the Executive Committee — CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev told the media in Minsk on 30 May.

“The process of the adjustment of the Commonwealth of Independent States to the new realities continues, and it has been quite effective. This matter was discussed during the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government in Kazan. It will be on the agenda of the meeting of the CIS Council of Plenipotentiaries due in Minsk today,” Sergei Lebedev said.

An example of such adaptation he cited the number of issues discussed at the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government in Kazan. They were only 12. “Whereas previously the agenda could include about 30 issues. Now some of them are considered at the meetings of the CIS Economic Council, the CIS Ministerial Council. This trend will continue, he noted.

According to Sergei Lebedev, the recent meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government in Kazan went well. A number of documents regulating the cooperation in various fields was signed. Among the most important ones was the on the joint use of the testing capacities of Kazakhstan’s tokamak for material testing. There were the issues related to the further implementation of the interstate program for innovative cooperation. The heads of government also signed the CIS interstate radio navigation program for the period up to 2020, reviewed the issues related to the CIS Economic Court. The Chairman of the Executive Committee expressed the hope that the documents will enable the economic court to continue its activities in a new format.

“The general opinion of the heads of the delegations and observers present in Kazan that the meeting went very well, in a constructive manner and most importantly, effectively,” Sergei Lebedev noted.

The CIS Executive Committee is hosting the meeting of the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiaries of the CIS member states. The plenipotentiaries are set to consider 7 issues. First and foremost, they will take stock of the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government and outline the tasks to implement the decisions that were adopted.

Source: Belarus news agency “BelTA”