DUSHANBE, 16.09.2019. (NIAT Khovar) – The 83rd meeting of the Economic Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held in Ashgabat on Friday.

The meeting agenda included an extensive range of issues relating to the economic interaction between the CIS countries.

First Deputy Prime Minister Davlatali Said represented Tajikistan in this meeting, which included discussions about the preparations of the agreement on free trade in services. A number of steps have been proposed to expedite work on this document.

The heads of delegations approved the draft Declaration on Strategic Economic Cooperation of the CIS member states. This document, prepared on the personal initiative of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, aims to create a coordinated approach to the realization of the economic interests of the commonwealth as a whole and each of the CIS member states, to create effective partnership mechanisms to improve economic ties both within the commonwealth and with other integration associations and individual states. In October, the draft of the document will be submitted to the Council of Heads of State.

Members of the CIS Economic Council approved the draft concept of cooperation among the CIS member states in the field of digital development of society and the plan for its implementation. These documents are aimed to coordinate tasks, principles, main directions and mechanisms of interstate interaction in the formation of a digital environment in the commonwealth.

In addition, the meeting participants considered a number of financial and organizational issues.

Eleven documents adopted by the heads of delegations will be submitted to the Council of Heads of Government.

The next meeting of the CIS Economic Council is scheduled for December 6, 2019 in Moscow.