CIS Heads Sign Joint Documents

The Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) discussed a wide range of issues of integration cooperation and signed a number of important intergovernmental documents in Astana on May 29.

The Council of CIS Heads of State meet biannually in order to coordinate the cooperation of executive bodies in economic, social, and other common areas of interest. The heads of all member countries, except for Ukraine, attended the latest meeting.

The participants considered and approved the joint actions plan of CIS countries in the financial and economic sphere, approved the strategy of transport security in CIS territories, and discussed the concept of inter-regional and cross-border cooperation of CIS member states for the period to 2020, as well as the plan for its implementation.

The prime ministers of CIS countries adopted a number of documents relating to enhanced cooperation in the field of intellectual property, professional training and skills development. In the humanitarian sphere issues of expansion of cooperation were discussed in the education field and the main cultural activities were approved for 2016-2020.

Following the Council meeting, the prime ministers met Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan. “I have always said and I believe that the CIS has great potential. The very meeting of Heads of State, their bilateral and multilateral negotiations is of great value, especially in times of global crisis, when more than ever we need to work together and cooperate,” stated Nazarbaev.

Participants of the meeting signed about 20 documents in total. The next meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State will be held in Dushanbe on October 30.