The Kyrgyz capital Bishkek is hosting the CIS jubilee summit today.
However, not all CIS leaders are attending the summit, which is expected to discuss issues related to reforming the organization.
Moldova is reportedly represented by Prime Minister Pavel Filip, Turkmenistan is represented by Vice-Premier Satlyk Satlykov, Uzbekistan is represented by Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, and Ukraine is represented by its ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.
Tajikistan is represented by President Emomali Rahmon, who is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Azim Ibrohim, Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov, Presidential Adviser for Foreign Policy Azamsho Sharifi, the Chairperson of the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, Ms. Gulnora Hasanzoda and some other officials, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
The CIS leaders will discuss five issues in a narrow format, including declarations and decisions on the holding of the next CIS summit, adaptation of the organization to modern realities, and election of the executive secretary.
Russia will take over as the rotating chair of the organization in 2017 and the next CIS summit will take place in Moscow in October next year.
Russia reportedly proposes to extend powers of the CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev, who has held this position since 2007, for another three years – from 2017 to 2019.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov says the CIS leaders will announce the wish to preserve the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The Bishkek meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State is expected to discuss 14 draft documents related to political, security and humanitarian cooperation between the CIS nations, according to Kyrgyzstan’s AKIpress news agency.
Particularly, the CIS leaders will discuss reduction of CIS bodies and revision of their work as part of adaptation of the CIS to modern realities. This topic has been initiated by the Kazakh side.
Some 14 documents are expected to be signed during the CIS Summit, including the cooperation program in fight against terrorism and other violent forms of extremism until 2019, cooperation program 2016-2020 in fight against cybercrime, several documents on security and law enforcement cooperation, AKIpress reports.
They will also discuss preparations for the 2020 round of population census and expansion of cooperation between regions of the CIS member nations.
Established on December 8, 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization. It now consists of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Georgia pulled out of the organization in 2009.
