Council of the CIS Foreign Ministers held its session in Minsk

The meeting was presided by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Aslov.

During the meeting the heads of foreign ministries had a substantial and interested exchange of views on relevant issues of the international agenda, political and humanitarian cooperation across the CIS and engagement of the CIS countries in the field of security.

According to the press office of the CIS Executive Committee, on the joint initiative of Russia and Belarus, a protocol decision on the draft Statement of the CIS Foreign Ministers on Unacceptability of Erosion of the Principle of Non-Interference in Internal Affairs of Sovereign Countries was signed. In accordance with the decision, the CIS Executive Committee is mandated to provide expertise on the statement with the CIS Member Nations in the shortest possible timeframe in order to adopt the document.

On the initiative of the Republic of Tajikistan, the participants also signed a protocol decision on mandating the CIS Executive Committee to update the provisions of the Concept of Further Development of the Commonwealth of Independent States and prepare the proposals involving the CIS experts.

The political agenda focused on the issue of consultations between foreign offices of the CIS countries. The members of the Council of the CIS Foreign Ministers summarized the results of the implementation of the consultations plan in 2017 and approved a similar plan for this year.

The CIS Foreign Ministers considered the draft Agreement on Cooperation in Countering Crime in the Sphere of Information Technologies.

The meeting also approved the draft Intergovernmental Program of Joint Efforts in Countering Crime for 2019-2023. The document includes measures to counter all forms of cross-border crime including trafficking in drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, illegal migration and human trafficking, and cyber-crime.

Having considered the issue on the CIS basic provider in the field of vocational training and professional upgrade of specialists for fiscal (financial) investigative bodies, the heads of foreign ministries decided to accord this status to the Law-Enforcement Academy at the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Among the documents in the humanitarian field the Foreign Ministers approved the draft Provisions on CIS Congress of Teachers and Educators.

In addition, the draft Provisions on International Youth Project “100 Ideas for the CIS” was adopted. This important and interesting document is aimed at the identification and promotion of innovation ideas that are of practical interest and importance for the social and economic development of the countries, facilitation of contacts, promoting conditions for knowledge- and experience-sharing among the youth, development of civil-based organizations, promotion of business and innovation culture among young people.

The session also approved the draft decision to declare 2021 the Year of Architecture and Urban Development in the CIS.

The heads of the delegations discussed and signed the Statement on the 90^th Anniversary of Chinghiz Aitmatov.

The next regular meeting of the Council of the CIS Foreign Ministers will be held in Dushanbe on 27 September 2018.