DUSHANBE, 02.04.2021 (NIAT Khovar) – Today, Moscow will host a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) chaired by Belarus. For the first time since October 2019, the meeting will be held in person, reports the Press Service of the CIS Executive Committee.

Foreign ministers will exchange views on the international agenda and interaction in the CIS format.

They will also discuss the progress of the implementation of the Program of Action to enhance the partnership between the foreign ministries of the CIS member states and the implementation of the plan of multi-level inter-ministerial consultations within the framework of the Commonwealth in 2020.

Additionally, the ministers will preliminarily decide which documents will be submitted for consideration by the Council of CIS Heads of State. This is, first of all, the draft Address of the Heads of State to the people of the Commonwealth countries and the world community in connection with the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

Two documents, the drafts of which are submitted for approval by the Ministerial Council, will subsequently be sent to the Council of Heads of Government for consideration. They documents relate to cooperation in the field of geodesy, cartography, cadastre and remote sensing of the Earth and the creation of a basic organization in the field of operational and strategic training of officers of the armed forces.

It is expected that the meeting will approve medium-term action plans for the implementation of strategies in force in the Commonwealth — the development of cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports, international youth cooperation, as well as in tourism.

The live broadcast, which begins at 12:00 Moscow time, can be viewed on the CIS Internet portal (e-cis.info).