A meeting of The Council of Heads of States of the CIS Member Nations is being held today through video-conferencing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Uzbekistan is chairing the meeting and its participants are discussing the current state and prospects of further expansion of cooperation within the CIS in the political, trade and economic, social and cultural spheres, a source within the Tajik government told Asia-Plus in an interview.
They will also discuss joint efforts to counter the coronavirus infection and exchange views on a number of topical international and regional matters.
Following the meeting, CIS leaders are expected to approve an updated Concept for the CIS future development and adopt joint statements on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, on cooperation in the area of maintaining international information security, and a number of other documents.
The Council of Heads of State of the CIS is a working body in the Commonwealth of Independent States. It serves as the supreme body of the CIS, and includes all the chiefs of state of CIS member nations. Regular meetings of the council are held annually. It was created following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, directly replacing the State Council of the Soviet Union. As of 2020 there are 9 members of the CIS: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan is an associate state of the CIS.
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 Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan has an associate status in the grouping.
Ukraine quitted the grouping in 2018. In May 2018, the then President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed a decree that formally ended Kyiv’s membership in the grouping. Ukraine was an associate member of the CIS since it was established following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Georgia quitted the CIS in 2009.
