Updating the Concept of the CIS Development discussed in Minsk

On 23–24 April a meeting of the expert group on updating the Concept of Development of the Commonwealth of Independent States took place at the CIS Executive Committee in Minsk.

The meeting brought together the representatives of the CIS member nations, the Council of the CIS Ministers of Interior, the Joint Chiefs of Border Guards, the CIS Economic Court and the CIS Executive Committee. The CIS Interparliamentary Assembly was represented by Deputy Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat Alexey Dolzhikov.

The Concept of Development of the Commonwealth of Independent States was adopted in October 2017 in order to increase the practical relevance of cooperation. It includes evolution of the Commonwealth, keeping its multi-sectoral nature, harmonized development of all existing and new areas of cooperation. In April 2018, the meeting of the Council of the CIS Foreign Ministers in Minsk decided to update the Concept.

First and foremost, the amendments will affect the provisions related to the economic cooperation. The new Concept will include new areas of cooperation among the countries: digital economy, e-commerce, strengthening scientific and technological and innovative cooperation. It is expected that the new cooperation areas of cooperation to be set out in the Concept will be reflected in other CIS documents.