Meeting of the Council of the CIS Foreign Ministers takes place in Moscow

Heads of foreign offices drew particular attention to the issues of strengthening cooperation of the CIS member states in the field of countering growing threats and challenges to security and stability. The Council members exchanged views on expanding the states’ cooperation in economic, cultural, humanitarian, and scientific and technological areas, drew the outcomes of the implementation of the Plan of Multi-level Inter-MFA in the CIS in 2018 and adopted a similar document for 2019. The Plan inlcudes consultations on foreign policy planning, countering modern challenges and threats, disarmament issues, developing economic cooperation, cooperation in the field of information, as well as working with international organizations (UN, OSCE, EU, etc.).

The meeting took action on a number of political statements, including the draft Statement of the CIS Member Nations to Commemorate the 80^th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Second World War. The Statement reaffirms the commitment of the CIS states to the principles and norms of international law, denounces any attempts to justify and glorify Nazism and its acolytes. It specifically stresses the universal and intergovernmental nature of the United Nations established at the end of the Second World War and its responsibility to sustain peace and prevent new global conflicts.

Of not less importance was the statement of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the CIS Member nations on the necessity to preserve and properly maintain war cemeteries and memorials of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.

The draft Agreement on Coordination of the CIS Intergovernmental Relations in the Field of Fundamental Research to be presented for consideration of the Council of the CIS Heads of Government was adopted within the “humanitarian” cluster. The agreement aims to define the main directions, forms and mechanisms of interaction of the Commonwealth member states in the field of fundamental research, promote long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation in science.

The Council also discussed and supported the draft Agreement on Cooperation in Museum Sciences, which aims to create favorable conditions to develop museum and exhibition exchange in the CIS.

The ministers also considered the draft CIS Convention on Transfer of non-Custodial Sentences, which intends to regulate the relations on the execution of court decisions on the territory of another state of non-custodial sentences and criminal law measures.