DUSHANBE, November 15, 2008, Asia-Plus – the CIS heads of government have endorsed the economic development strategy for alliance through 2020.
The CIS heads of government gathered in Chisinau, Moldova on November 14. At first, the CIS heads of government met with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin. After a meeting with the Moldovan President, the CIS premiers took part in a narrow-format meeting. After this, they held an extended-format meeting.
The session discussed more than 30 issues. The issue concerning the cooperation of the national economies during the world financial crisis became one of the pressing issues that were discussed at the meeting.
The economic development strategy for the bloc through 2020 topped the meeting’s agenda. The premiers approved and singed the document.
The sides also considered issues related to work of the alliance on combating illegal migration and endorsed the Convention on legal status of migrant workers and their families.
Other issues considered at the meeting related to the CIS cooperation in the field of innovations, functioning of the Interstate TV and Radio Company MIR, budget policy, etc.
The Chisinau session also resulted in signing of agreements on combating the circulation of counterfeit medicines and preventing increase in diabetes cases. The council also considered issues concerning coordination service of the council of the CIS border troops commanders, interaction between the defense ministries, in interaction in fighting illegal manufacturing of and trafficking in weapons and ammunition, and a number of other issues.
The meeting participants agreed to hold the next session of the CIS heads of governments in Astana, Kazakhstan in may 2009.
The CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev noted: “The session of the council of the CIS heads of government and decisions adopt by it indicate that the Commonwealth alliance is alive and developing.”
The CIS, a loose alliance of former Soviet states, comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Ukraine is a founding and participating country but technically not a member state. Turkmenistan holds associate status, while Georgia recently withdrew over the South Ossetia conflict.
