CIS Heads of Government Council Meeting

The Commonwealth of Independent States Heads of Government Council Meeting chaired by Uzbekistan was held via video-conference.

In the course of the talks, the current state and prospects for the development of cooperation within the CIS in the political, trade, economic, social and cultural fields, and issues of interaction in the fight against the spread of coronavirus infection were discussed. The sides exchanged views on current international and regional issues.

Speaking at the Meeting, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev focused the attention of the Heads of Government on ensuring regional security and stability. In his opinion, sustainable development and progress are impossible in conditions of tension and mutual distrust in interstate relations. "I would like to emphasize once again that the Ceasefire Agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh, reached through the efforts of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev and the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with the most active and decisive mediation of Vladimir Putin, is the only right solution in this critical situation. I hope that this historic Agreement will contribute to the establishment of long-term peace in the region. Indeed, the flash point of conflict in the post-Soviet countries, poisoned the political atmosphere in the Commonwealth throughout its existence, has been settled," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

The Head of State believes that close cooperation between our countries is extremely important at this difficult time. "Yes, we differ from each other in economic potentials, our historical worldview, and even, as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict showed, the geopolitical worldview can also be different. But the main thing is that the peoples of our countries want to live in a peaceful environment, to be friends with each other. Our task is to prevent situations that could divide our peoples, but to look for ways and opportunities for establishing mutually beneficial cooperation, bringing the CIS countries closer together in the conditions of strategic turbulence. We should consider the multilateral cooperation in the post-pandemic world with all its challenges and difficulties," the President stressed.

"Ou.organization, through the efforts of its founding fathers, was still able to save the post-Soviet countries from large-scale bloodshed in that difficult, largely contradictory period of our common history. I believe that our common objective is to further consolidate the potential of the Commonwealth in the new geopolitical realities, to strengthen its position in the international arena. I am convinced that cooperation in a good-neighborly way, in the spirit of mutual respect and inclusion will allow us to decently stand all the current trials and future challenges," the Head of State said. According to the President, as an important contribution to ensuring stability in the region, Kazakhstan, as the Chairman of CICMA, in 2020-2022 plans to make every effort to transform it into a full-fledged Organization for Security and Development in Asia (OBRA).

The Head of State paid particular attention to the environmental protection and the introduction of "green" solutions, and the development of new digital technologies. Kazakhstan, as the Chairman of the CIS Interstate Council on Ecology proposes to study the possibility of convergence of approaches and harmonization of national legislation in this area, and to create a Special Working Group on Digitalization in 2021.

The President of Kazakhstan also called on his CIS peers to "step up efforts to further liberalize mutual trade, eliminate barriers and restrictions. "It is important to focus on attracting investment, effective use of transit and transport potential, deepening industrial cooperation, and developing horizontal ties between regions," Tokayev said.

Following the meeting, a number of documents were signed, including the CIS Further Development Concept and the Key Action Plan for its implementation, the Joint Statement of the Commonwealth of Independent States Heads of Government on the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, the Joint Statement of the Commonwealth of Independent States Heads of Government on Cooperation in the field of international information security.

Taking into account the current realities in the CIS Further Development Concept, the areas of cooperation in the economic, political, cultural and humanitarian fields have been expanded. The document includes the development and implementation of cooperation projects in agriculture, light industry, production of construction materials, jewelry industry, and development of common markets for certain types of products. The CIS countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in the field of digital technologies and the use of outer space. The cultural and humanitarian component provides for increased cooperation in the areas of health care, sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, and work with young people.